Catholic church fault ‘Edo police rescue’ of kidnapped Italian priest

Rev Fr. Luigi Brenna kidnap: Catholic church disagree wit police on rescue of Italian priest for Edo

Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City
Police for Edo State claim say na dem rescue di Italian priest, Rev Fr. Luigi Brenna, but di Catholic Archdiocese say no be so

Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City don fault Police rescue report of one kidnapped Italian priest for Edo State southern Nigeria.

Edo State Police Command issue statement say na dem help rescue di Reverend Father from di kidnappers.

But Archdiocese of Benin City explanation of how Fr. Luigi Brenna regain freedom from im kidnappers contradict wetin police tok.

Tori be say Kidnappers bin gbab di priest on Sunday 3 July 2022 howeva im escape hand.

Police for Edo State claim say na dem rescue di Italian priest but di Catholic Archdiocese say no be so e happun.

How di kidnap take happen?

According to Chancellor, Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Very Rev. Fr. Michael Oyanoafoh e happun wen Fr. Luigi Brenna bin dey watch football game.

Boys for di village bin dey play around 5pm for Usen, in front of di Somascan community playing ground.

Michael Oyanoafoh come explain say di kidnap happun on Sunday 3 July, 2022

Suddenly, e say some men storm di venue begin shoot, wey make di boys wey bin dey play di football run away,

“But dem capture Fr. Luigi Brenna, beat am, use machete hit im head and bodi, den drag am away.

After about half kilometres of intense trekking and di dragging, dem give am more beating, di clergyman add.

E say dem beat am because di priest bin dey resist to follow di abductors, so e come fait at dat point.

Di Chancellor say dem carry am go anoda hospital to continue treatment and im dey respond well to di treatment.

Rev Fr. Luigi Brenna kidnap: Catholic church disagree wit police on rescue of Italian priest for Edo

Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City
Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City debunk Police rescue report say no be so

How Police say di rescue happen?

Edo State Police Command say wen operatives attached to Iguobazuwa Division receive hint say suspected kidnappers kidnap di 64 year-old priest dem immediately swing into action.

One tok-tok pesin ASP Jennifer U. Iwegbu say e happun for Ogunwenyu through Usen community for Ovia South West local goment area of Edo State.

Iwegbu say di operatives follow di suspected kidnappers to dia camp.

“Di suspects as dem sight di operatives open fire on dem but di superior fire power of di police operatives neutralise three of di kidnappers.”

“Di rest escape into di forest with various degrees of gun shot injuries and abandon dia victim.”

Police say dem immediately rush di victim to Igbinedion Teaching Hospital, Okada for medical attention.

“Meanwhile intensive bush combing dey go on with dj aim of arresting di suspected kidnappers weh dey on di run.” She tok.

Catholic Priests

Musa Patrick
Many Catholic Priests dey kidnapped

Kidnappers gbab two oda priests on same sunday

Gunmen on dat same Sunday 3 July 2022 kidnap two Catholic priests for Edo State inside southern Nigeria.

E dey happun two weeks afta kidnappers kill on priest for di state.

Police name Reverend Father Udo Peter and Reverend Father Philemon Oboh as di victims.

Chidi Nwabuzor, di Edo State Police tok-tok pesin say e happun along di Benin-Auchi Expressway.

Last week some gunmen kill Rev. Fr Christopher Odia wey be di priest in charge of St. Michael Catholic Church for for Ikabigbo inside Etsako West Local Government Area for di state.

E bin dey kidnapped for im house as e dey prepare to go mass, and na so dem later kill am.

Police operatives dey carry out aggressive manhunt to arrest di kidnappers and rescue di two Rev. Fathers.

Catholic priests

Musa Patrick
Catholic Priests protest against di recent kidnap of priests

‘Make Goment step up and tackle insecurity’

Meanwhile di Catholic Diocese of Uromi dey demand make Goment step up and improve di  security situation.

 

Director of Communications for di Catholic Diocese of Uromi, Rev. Fr. Benedict Ifiraojie tell BBC Pidgin say dat axis wia dis kidnap happen na nightmare for travellers, come add say di kidnap happen wen di two Rev. Fathers dey return to Uromi from Benin.

 

E say even as dem dey put di two priests for prayers, dem want goment to tackle di insecurity for di country.

 

“As a church we don get series of dialogues among stakeholders: security personnel, traditional rulers even di State Goment to see wetin we fit do becos e get length e go get to wey we gats raise our voice, sensitise pipo to dey security conscious.

 

And at di same time prick di conscience of goment say weda dem like am or not, na dem be di Chief security officers of wateva locality, weda na federal level or State level or even di local goment level.

 

So enof of dis sleeping on dia oars. Make dem rise up to di task wey make pipo vote dem into power and protect lives and property.”

Burial of catholic priest Borogo

Musa Patrick
Recently about three catholic priests dey kidnapped

‘Even though we be endangered specie, we go still do priest work’

Rev. Fr. Ifiraojie say even though dem dey disappointed with di way tins be for Priests, dem go continue to do di work but make Goment address dis matter.

“I feel threatened and disappointed becos weda we like am or not we must reach out to di sheep wey dey under our care.

 

“And we no go say becos we be ‘endangered specie’ we no go do our work, we go definitely do am.

“But we feel threatened so we dey ask di Goment and security agents to get di will power to do wetin dem need to do.

“If dem declare State of Emergency on security for dis country and dem mean am, e no go be problem at all.”

 

Dis kidnapping incident dey happen barely one week after dem kidnap and kill anoda Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Christopher Odia of di Diocese of Auchi, still for Edo State.

 

Not only dat, less than 24 hours, tori of di kidnap of anoda  Catholic priest for Kaduna, northwestern Nigeria, also break.

 

Di latest victim na Rev. Father Emmanuel Silas, di parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church for Zambina, Kauru local goment area of Kaduna State.

 

Chancellor, Kafanchan Catholic Diocese, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okolo confam di tori as well as di Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna State.

 

According to di Chancellor, dem kidnap Fr. Silas from di  rectory of di parish in di early hours of Monday.

Im abduction dey come less than a week after dey bury anoda Catholic priest, Rev. Fr Vitus Borogo for Kaduna after dem kill am on 25 June, 2022.

Many catholic priests protest for Kaduna after dem bury dia colleague Fr Vitrus Borogo wey gunmen kill.

Di priests wey hold different placards during dia protest say dem want an end to insecurity for di kontri wey dey continue to kill pipo.

Dem bury Father Borogo for Lady of Apostle’s Parish inside Kaduna city.

Na on 24 June 2022 gunmen attack di priest as e dey for im farm along Kaduna-Kachia road.

Before im death na im be di chaplain of Catholic church inside Kaduna Polytechnic.