By Ovie Okpare
Suspected herdsmen have reportedly kidnapped a priest with Anglican Church (Church of Nigeria) and a middle-aged man at Issele-Mkpetime in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The priest, Rev Anthony Oyi was initially abducted with entire members of his family but the captors later freed the wife and children of the victim.
The incident occurred on Saturday at the victim’s farm in Issele-Mkpetime, an agrarian community, where they had gone to farm that morning.
Upon release of Rev. Oyi’s wife and children, the hoodlums ordered the wife to go home and look for ransom for his kidnapped husband.
It was learnt that a middle-aged man whose identity is yet be ascertained.
Rev. Oyi, who resides at Oko-Ogbele near Asaba, the state capital, had gone to his farm with his family at Issele-Mkpetime, his hometown, where the hoodlums ambushed them.
Community sources claimed that the entire household of the cleric was initially abducted in one fell swoop by the gun wielding hoodlums.
“The abductors released their victim’s wife and children and kept the Reverend and the other man, asking the wife to go look for money to come and pay ransom for the husband’s release,” a source volunteered.
According to the source, the vigilante in Issele-Uku and Issele-Mkpitime have been alerted, and search party dispatched into the bush, but stressed the need for the police to act fast to free the captives.
The State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed the abduction but could not say if the abductors were herdsmen.
Onovwakpoyeya added that the command had already launched a rescue operation for the cleric and the other victim.
