By Paschal Norbert
ONITSHA, JANUARY 14, 2025 (CISA) – Two Catholic nuns, Sister Vincentia Maria Nwankwo and Sister Grace Mariette Okoli of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ (IHM), who were abducted on January 7, 2025, in Anambra State, have been released unconditionally.
In a statement dated January 13, the IHM Sisters confirmed the release of the two nuns, stating that they are safe and in good health.
“I bring to your notice in joy that our dear Sisters Vincentia Maria Nwankwo and Grace Mariette Okoli, who were kidnapped in the evening of Tuesday, 7th January 2025, have been released unconditionally and in good health,” shared Sr Maria Sobenna Ikeotuonye, Secretary General of the IHM, in the statement.
The nuns had been abducted on the evening of January 7, 2025, along Ufuma Road in Anambra State, while returning from a vocational association meeting in Ogboji. Sr Vincentia Maria Nwankwo is the principal of Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Model Secondary School, Ufuma, while Sr Grace Mariette Okoli serves as a teacher at Immaculate Girls Model Secondary School, Nnewi.
In her statement announcing their release, Sr Ikeotuonye expressed deep gratitude to those who supported the sisters during their ordeal.
“We thank God and thank you all for your prayers and support all through these rough and uncertain days. May God forever be blessed through Mary, our Mother,” she said.
The sisters’ abduction and subsequent release brings an end to a tense and sorrowful chapter that highlights the ongoing security challenges in parts of Nigeria, where clergy and religious personnel have increasingly become targets of abduction.
