[UPDATED] Kidnapped Ekiti Catholic priest regains freedom

A priest of the Catholic diocese of Ekiti, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade, who was kidnapped by three gunmen in Ido Ekiti last week Tuesday, has regained his freedom.

The Catholic Bishop of the diocese, Most. Rev. Felix Ajakaye, confirmed the news to journalists on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti.

Although he said no ransom was paid to secure the release of the priest, Ajakaye confirmed that the abductors had demanded N200m.

Fr. Akingbade was kidnapped by the gunmen on June 9 in his bedroom at the mission house of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, Ido Ekiti, around 8pm and taken to an unknown destination.

Ajakaye said, “This morning we thank God, we saw him, God did it and I  thank everybody for their prayers because we rely on God, we believe in God and He can do anything.

“But we told our people not to abuse the abductors because we wouldn’t want the abductors to be cursed and we want things to change for the better in our state, the state of honour, and  Nigeria as a whole.  What happened to Fr. Akingbade happened to every member of the Church,  so all over the world people were praying. 

“They were even threatening that they would kill him and I told them that on the day he was ordained he had sacrificed himself.  But we were still negotiating. They asked me how much we could afford, I said even one kobo, we cannot afford. 

“We thank God, He took control, we told them we would be praying, that we would not even curse them. I told them that they should know that they are children of God, that Father should be released unconditionally, that we are not paying them.

“I pray that what has happened to Fr. Akingbade would put an end to all these abduction in Ekiti State. If a Catholic priest could be abducted in his room, then nobody is safe. “

Unconfirmed reports said that local hunters rescued the priest, but the bishop said he was not aware of that.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, has yet to answer inquiries sent to him by our correspondent as of press time.

Ajakaye described the abduction and other crimes in the country, particularly Ekiti State, as “menace that must be fixed.”

“This thing must be addressed and all of us must speak against it. It is unfortunate that what we had not experienced before in Ekiti is now happening. But must we keep quiet? No.”

He called on the government to equip and train the security operatives more to be able to tackle the various security challenges confronting the country.