File: Gunmen

By Richard Elesho

While deteriorating insecurity in parts of Kogi State, gunmen have abducted a Catholic Priest in Obangede, headquarters of Okehi Local Government Area, LGA. Rev. Fr. Christopher Onotu was kidnapped from his church premises on Saturday night.

It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the vicarage at about 9 pm and whisked the clergyman away. However, most of his church members did not get to know him till Sunday morning, when the Priest was absent from mass.

The Priest’s ordeal started when the gunmen burgled the window and door to enter his apartment and began to torment him.

A member of the Church told our reporter that the hoodlums went away with the priest’s car. “They dropped his two phones but went with the Sim cards.”

The activities of gunmen in the central senatorial district of the state have left residents panicking in the last few weeks.

It would be recalled that barely a week ago, a popular politician and Board member of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, HYPPADEC, Ozi Salami was kidnapped on his way to the mosque in Ogaminana.

So far there has been no development on his whereabout, as his abductors were yet to make contacts.

But the Police through its public relations officer, William Ayah says the command is collaborating with other sister security agencies to track the whereabouts of the Catholic Priest and rescue him unhurt.

The rate of abductions has created panic among residents of the state, who now sleep with one eye open.