Unknown gunmen kidnap Catholic priest in Delta community

TopNaija reports that some gunmen on Monday night reportedly kidnapped the priest in charge of St. John’s Catholic Church, Obinomba in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State.

The priest simply identified as Rev. Fr. Harrison, was said to have been kidnapped at about 8 p.m. as he was meandering a bad spot in Oria-Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state when he was returning to base from Warri in his Highlander Jeep.

Witnesses said that the kidnappers shot sporadically into the air to scare away passers-by at the scene of the operation just as they also prevented possible resistance.

It was gathered that the abductors abandoned the cleric’s car at the scene of the incident as they whisked him away.

A member of the local vigilante group who spoke with journalists on the incident said that even though they heard terrifying gunshots by the kidnappers, there was no way they could combat the hoodlums with their ‘shoot and run’ guns.

A vigilante said, “It looked like they came to fight a war.”

“We have so far picked about 15 shells which are bullets from their AK-47 gun.”

Policemen from Abraka Division later raced to the scene of the incident, apparently with a view to strategizing on a possible rescue mission for the abducted cleric.

The acting Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, DSP Edafe Bright, could not be reached as if at the time of filing this report.