Kehinde Fajobi
The retired Archbishop of the Anglican Communion in Anambra State, Most Rev. Godwin Okpala, has shared the harrowing details of his 27-day captivity, describing it as “seeing hell.”
Abducted on December 6, 2024, alongside his driver, Okpala was released on January 3, 2025.
Speaking at his home in Nnewi during a visit by former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Okpala recalled the brutal treatment he endured.
“Throughout my stay, I never took a bath, brushed my teeth, or wore anything other than my pants,” he revealed.
He added that the kidnappers provided him with leftover food, denied him basic hygiene, and kept him in a thick forest, indifferent to his suffering.
“Those 27 days were hellish because the people were not behaving like human beings. They kicked us about like trash,” Okpala said.
“They kept us in a very thick forest, and none of them cared. I was in my cassock, and they knew I was a Bishop, but they didn’t care. They pulled down my cassock, asked me to undress, and I had only shorts, a shirt, and my collar on.”
He described the food as sparse and unappetising: “They were giving me one meal a day, and it was either rice or garri. The food was usually remnants from those they gave to boys who worked with them.”
Grateful for his release, Okpala expressed thanks to all who contributed to his rescue efforts.
He also praised Obi for being the only person to visit him since his ordeal. “Since my return from the kidnappers’ den, no one has visited me until now,” said the 75-year-old prelate.
“Obi has again shown the humanity in him. I’m not the first person he is coming to see in this manner. I want to say thank you to Peter Obi who came to visit me after my travails.”
In a related development, the Nnewi Catholic Diocese laid to rest three priests on Thursday, including Rev. Fr. Tobias Okonkwo, who was murdered by gunmen in Ihiala on Boxing Day.
Okonkwo, a pharmacist and manager at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala, was killed while carrying out his duties.