Barely one week after kidnappers killed an abducted Catholic priest in Edo, Christopher Odia, unknown gunmen have kidnapped two Catholic Reverend Fathers have in the state.
Last Sunday, Odia, who was the priest in Charge of St. Michael Catholic Church, Ikabigbo community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo, was abducted as he was preparing for mass.
The cleric was shot dead during a manhunt launched to secure his release.
On Saturday, Reverend Fathers, Uboh Philemon of St. Joseph Retreat Centre and Rev. Fr. Udom Peter of Uromi Catholic Church both of Ugbokha, Esan South East Local Government Area, were returning to their parish after an event when they were kidnapped.
The two priest were reportedly returning from Benin to Ugboha after attending the programme when gunmen accosted them on the Benin-Auchi road between Ekhor and Iruekpen axis and whisked them into the bush.
State Police Public Relations Officer in Edo, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident.
He said the police received information about the kidnap of the two reverend fathers through the divisional police officer of Ugboha and corroborated by one Rev. Father Emos Holiness of St Dominic Catholic Church of Mission Road, Ugbokha,
The police spokesman said the Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, had deployed a team of police operatives to hunt for the hoodlums and rescue the victims unhurt.