ABUJA, JULY 12, 2016 (CISA) – Association of Catholic priests in Nigeria have condemned the rise in kidnapping of the clergy and religious sisters.
According to Vatican Radio, the most dramatic and recent incident is that of Fr John Adeyi the Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo who was kidnapped on Sunday, 24 April 2016.
The body of Fr John was found dumped by unknown persons, in his hometown on June 22. He will be buried on 15 July.
The new President of the Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Fr Sylvester Onmoke has condemned the recent wave of kidnapping of Catholic priests and religious as an anti-Christ and an assault on the Church.
Fr Onmoke has said the crime calls for more proactive action on the part of the government and the people to counter this wave of abductions, reports Vatican radio.
The NCDPA President made this observation while speaking to Catholic News Service of Nigeria (CNSNg), in an exclusive interview, when he led the association’s new executive members on a courtesy visit to the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Durumi, Abuja, recently.
According to Fr Onmoke, priests are invaluable in the House of God and the decision of these criminals to turn their focus on the kidnapping of priests is an assault on the Church. He, therefore, called on all members of his association and other priests working in all parts of the country to be more security conscious and be more discreet about their movements and activities.
He has since called on the government and security agents to live up to expectation by protecting the lives and property of the people of the country.
