Abducted Catholic priest regains freedom after four days in Rivers
Four days after he was abducted by gunmen 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.
PUNCH Metro recall that Father Maurice, who is the Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isokpo, was kidnapped while returning from a hospital visitation along with two others whose identities are yet-to-be-ascertained last Wednesday.
Following the abduction, the Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt on behalf of the Bishop, Bernadine Anaele, in a statement, had called for the unconditional release of the priest.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the release of the trio in a statement in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Iringe-Koko said the manhunt launched by the police yielded results with the release of the priest and the two others.
She said they were freed by their captors at about 6:30 am on Sunday due to the pressure mounted by a team of policemen, soldiers from the Joint Task Force and vigilantes.
The statement reads, “Please be informed that today, February 16, 2022, at about 0630 hrs, information was received that the kidnapped victims, Rev. Maurice Livinus and others, have been released by their captor.
“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.
“The victims have been reunited with their families for medical attention, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the culprits.”
Meanwhile, some yet-to-be-identified assailants have abducted a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Jude Onyeka in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State.
Our correspondent gathered that the abduction of the priest happened in the early hours on Thursday, along the Building Materials Section in Ugwunwasike Bypass, Ogidi, Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.
Onyeka, a priest of the Onitsha Archdiocese, was formerly the Parish Priest of St. Edmund Catholic Church, Nkpor, near Onitsha, before his recent transfer to St. Dominic Catholic Church, Abatete in Idemili North LGA.
The Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Prudentus Aroh, broke the news of the abduction in a message he sent to the Onitsha Archdiocesan Presbyterium platform on Saturday, seeking special prayers for the safe return of the missing cleric.
Aroh stated that the incident occurred on Thursday evening, February 13, 2025, adding that the abductors have not established any contact with the church or family till now.
The message read, “His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian M. Okeke, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha, invites us to earnestly pray for his quick and safe release as all efforts are being made to secure his freedom.
“We commend our brother, Fr. Jude, to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, for his speedy release from the hands of his abductors.”
When contacted on the development, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the incident had not yet been brought to his attention.
