Four days after being abducted along the Elele-Isiokpo Road in the Ikwere Local Government Area of Rivers State, Rev. Father Livinus Maurice and two others have regained their freedom.
Father Maurice, the Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isokpo, was kidnapped last Wednesday while returning from a hospital visit alongside two unidentified individuals.
Following the abduction, the Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt, on behalf of Bishop Bernadine Anaele, issued a statement demanding the priest’s unconditional release.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed their release in a statement on Sunday. She attributed their freedom to the combined efforts of the police, soldiers from the Joint Task Force, and local vigilantes, whose pressure forced the captors to let them go around 6:30 am on Sunday.
“Their release came after pressure from the combined efforts of the security team comprising policemen, soldiers from the Joint Task Force in Isiokpo, and the local vigilantes,” Iringe-Koko stated. “The victims have been reunited with their families for medical attention, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the culprits.”
Meanwhile, another Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Jude Onyeka, has been abducted in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Onyeka, formerly the Parish Priest of St. Edmund Catholic Church, Nkpor, was kidnapped on Thursday along the Building Materials Section in Ugwunwasike Bypass, Ogidi, Idemili North LGA. The priest, recently transferred to St. Dominic Catholic Church, Abatete, remains missing, with no contact established by his abductors.
Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Prudentus Aroh, confirmed the incident, urging prayers for Onyeka’s safe return. He relayed a message from Archbishop Valerian M. Okeke, calling on the faithful to seek divine intervention for the priest’s release.
