Monday, February 17, 2025 - Rev. Father Livinus Maurice and two others who were abducted four days ago along the Elele-Isiokpo Road in the Ikwere Local Government Area of Rivers State have regained their freedom.
Father Maurice, the Parish Priest of St.
Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isokpo, was kidnapped last Wednesday, Feb. 12,
while returning from a hospital visit alongside two unidentified
individuals.
Following the abduction, the Catholic
Diocese of Port Harcourt, on behalf of Bishop Bernadine Anaele, issued a
statement demanding the priest’s unconditional release.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State
Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed their release in a statement on
Sunday, Feb. 16. She attributed their freedom to the combined efforts of the
police, soldiers from the Joint Task Force, and local vigilantes, whose
pressure forced the captors to let them go around 6:30 am on Sunday.
“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,” Iringe-Koko stated.
“The victims have been reunited with their families for medical attention,
while efforts are ongoing to arrest the culprits.”
Meanwhile, another Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Jude Onyeka, has been
abducted in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Onyeka, formerly the Parish Priest of St. Edmund Catholic Church, Nkpor,
was kidnapped on Thursday along the Building Materials Section in Ugwunwasike
Bypass, Ogidi, Idemili North LGA. The priest, recently transferred to St.
Dominic Catholic Church, Abatete, remains missing, with no contact established
by his abductors.
Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Prudentus
Aroh, confirmed the incident, urging prayers for Onyeka’s safe return. He
relayed a message from Archbishop Valerian M. Okeke, calling on the faithful to
seek divine intervention for the priest’s release
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