A Catholic priest, Rev Fr Kingsley Eze, has been abducted by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Umuekebi, Osuoweerre, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.
According to report made available to NIGERIACRIME, the abductors seized the priest who is in charge of St Michael’s Catholic Parish in Umuekebi on Thursday night.
It was gathered that Fr Eze was kidnapped alongside one other man identified as Uchenna Newman at Orieama Junction at about 8:00 pm.
According to reports, the gunmen had robbed shop owners at the junction before leaving the scene with the victims to an unknown destination.
Efforts to reach the state police command proved abortive as the Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, was unable to take his calls.
Meanwhile, a police officer, simply identified as Freedom has reportedly killed one Adeleye Eniola, an SS1 student of Mayigi Community High School, Ilashe, in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The speeding police officer also injured other students who were in the company of the deceased.
An eyewitness noted that the officer who is attached to the Ilaro Area Command allegedly knocked down and killed the student with his vehicle while chasing a motorcyclist.
Reacting to the incident, the youths of the community under the umbrella of Ipokia Local Government Youth Forum (IPYF), condemned the action of the police officer, describing it as “unprofessional and barbaric”.
The youth group, in a statement by its secretary, Adeyemi Olusegun, also chided the police for arresting and tear-gassing other students who were protesting the death of their colleague.
“Over the years, we have been faced with Nigeria Police Force’s unprofessional discharge of their constitutional duties that always infringe human rights of our people, and it has always been proven that men of the police force on our roads in Ipokia Local Government are specially trained to kill, maim, extort our people and take away our rights as citizens of this country.
“The said officer left Ilaro, to perpetuate evil in Ipokia Local Government because the Nigeria policemen have been left unchecked and they have turned themselves to free rascals that can operate even outside their jurisdictions,” he alleged.
The group demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer involved in the act.
When contacted for reaction, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Omolola Odutola, did not answer calls put to her by our correspondent, nor did she respond to messages sent to her.