Another Catholic priest kidnapped in Enugu  

Another Catholic priest of the Enugu Catholic Diocese, Reverend Father Theophilus Ndulue, has been kidnapped by gunmen. Ndulue, parish priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Ihuonyia, Amansiod in the Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state, was kidnapped on his way home along the Amansiodo Road on Friday evening.

This came barely 18 days after Father Arinze Madu, the Vice Rector of Queen of the Apostle Spiritual Year Seminary within the same local government, was kidnapped at the seminary gate. The latest kidnapping makes it eight Catholic priests that were kidnapped in less than eight months. Two of them were killed.

Confirming the incident, the Communication Director, Enugu Catholic Diocese, Rev Fr Benjamin Achi, said the abduction of the Catholic priest took place while he was returning to his parish after a meeting of priests and lay faithful at Holy Ghost Cathedral. He said, “That was the bad news we went to bed with after our meeting at the Holy Ghost Cathedral last evening (Friday). We had Pastoral Council Meeting at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, involving priests and the lay faithful and Fr Theophilus (Ndulue) was with us in the meeting.

“On his way back, he was riding with the President of the Catholic Women Organisations, Mrs Stella Nwodo, who also attended the meeting with him, in the same car and were almost home when the gunmen accosted them and whisked the two of them away. But shortly afterwards, they released the woman and held the priest. So it is something that gives us an indication that the priest was actually their target and not anybody else. That actually is the situation now, we are trying but we have not heard anything from them.”