Gunmen attack church, kidnap Catholic priest, seminarian in Edo

Gunmen have reportedly kidnapped a parish priest, Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli, and a major seminarian during an attack on St. Peter Catholic Church in Iviukhua-Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State, on Monday night.

The spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa, revealed this in a statement on Tuesday.

The Catholic Diocese of Auchi said the armed assailants stormed the priest’s rectory and the church premises at around 9:30 p.m., forcefully pulling down doors and windows while firing gunshots.

It also disclosed that local vigilantes engaged the attackers in a gun battle, but the criminals overpowered them with superior firepower before abducting Fr. Ekweli and the seminarian into the surrounding forests.

As of Tuesday morning, no contact had been made with the kidnappers, and their demands remain unknown, according to the Catholic Diocese.

Reacting to the incident, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Most Rev. Dr Gabriel Dunia, “expresses sadness at the frequency at which priests in his Diocese are attacked and kidnapped and that the once peaceful Edo North of the State, which houses the Diocese of Auchi, has become a field of the absurd where kidnappers come in at will and at regular intervals and kidnap people for ransom. It has become a business centre for kidnappers, calling on the government to address these persistent security challenges in Edo North and other parts of Edo State”.

The Catholic Diocese of Auchi, which was inaugurated in 2003, has suffered repeated attacks in recent years. In the past five years alone, eight priests have been kidnapped, with one brutally murdered in 2022.

The Diocese has, however, called on all people of goodwill to join the faithful of the Diocese in prayers so that the abductors release Fr. Ekweli unharmed.