The parish priest of St. Paul Parish, Agaliga-Efabo in Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Rev. Fr. Wilfred Ezemba, has been kidnapped.
He was reportedly abducted on Saturday in Imane, Olamaboro LGA, alongside several yet-to-be-identified commuters on the Imane–Ogugu road.
The incident has plunged the Catholic community in the area into distress.
A fellow priest, Rev. Fr. Michael, said, “Since his abduction three days ago, the kidnappers have not made contact. But we are confident that God will deliver him safely. We strongly believe in the power of prayers, and we trust he will regain his freedom.”
Security operatives, including the police, troops, and the Kogi East Neighbourhood Watch, are reportedly combing nearby forests in search of the abductors.
The development comes barely a week after another abduction in Olamaboro LGA. On 7 September, a legal practitioner, Barrister A. B. Shaibu, was kidnapped between Etieke and Okugoh.
He regained freedom last Thursday after his family secured his release.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Kogi State Police Command, SP Williams Aya, said the command had not yet received a formal briefing on Fr. Ezemba’s abduction.