Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - A member of the Missionary Society of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans) has been kidnapped in Nigeria. Father Gerald Ohaeri was kidnapped on the evening of November 30. According to the information provided by the South-East Nigeria Province of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), Father Ohaeri was captured near Opi (Nsukka), on the road that leads from Ugwogo Nike to Opi, as he was returning to Isienu after celebrating Mass in Enugu, the capital of the state of the same name in south-east Nigeria. According to the Nigerian press, the same gang that kidnapped the priest also tried to kidnap a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the largest parties in Nigeria.
The Ugwogo-Nike-Opi road has long been the target of kidnapping gangs who continue to operate with impunity despite the massive deployment of security forces in the area. Father Ohaeri is a lecturer at the "Spiritan School of Philosophy" seminary in Isienu (Diocese of Nsukka), founded by the Spiritans in 1965. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/12/2024)
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