SAN FRANCISCO, October 16, (THEWILL) – The Police in Ebonyi state have rescued a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Timothy Nwanja, abducted by gunmen in Okpokueze Nkomoro community, Imoho Development Centre, Ezza North Local Government Area of the State, barely 24 hours after he was kidnapped.
Also rescued was the cook to the priest who was also abducted along side with her boss while the police said that they arrested one of the suspected kidnappers.
Police spokesman in the state, Mrs Loveth Odah, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who conformed the rescue said that the police acting on tip off, raided the criminals’ hideout.
She narrated that while the cleric was having his dinner, the kidnappers sneaked into his room adding that the priest’s cook who had gone upstairs to get water from the refrigerator was first captured.
“When the priest heard the loud screaming, he ran upstairs to know what was going on and they also captured him. One of them was familiar with the area while the two were not.
“They took him away in his own vehicle. They blindfolded him and tied his ears so that he won’t be able to listen to their interaction.
“At a point, they separated the cook and the priest. They allowed the cook to go but it was a plot,” she narrated.
She said that the criminals had planned to request the sum N100 million ransom from the Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese in the morning before they ran out of luck. Ends
Also, the Zamfara State Police Command has rescued a personnel of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Muhammad B-Kudu, kidnapped recently by unidentified gunmen at Tsafe Unit Command of the FRSC in the state.
The unidentified gunmen had on Sept. 21 invaded the Tsafe Unit Command of the FRSC in Tsafe Local Government Area of the state killing one officer, Hamza Mubarak and kidnapping the rescued victim.
The state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Shaba Alkali, said in Gusau on Monday, that since the abduction, the command did not relent until the safe rescue of the FRSC officer.
He said the officer was rescued on Sunday by a team of mobile policemen at Dandindin Village in Maru Local Government Area of the state.
Alkali said that though the gunmen escaped into the forest during the rescue operation, the command would continue to comb the area until all the criminals are arrested and brought to book.
“The FRSC officer was successfully rescued and brought to police headquarters, where he was formally handed over to the state FRSC Acting-Sector Commander,” the CP said.
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