News

Kidnapped Methodist Prelate Recounts Ordeal, Insists Soldiers Complicit

Published

2 years ago

June 4, 2022

Editor

The Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Samuel Kanu-Uche, has recounted his experiences in the hands of kidnappers who attacked him in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria’s South-east.

Mr Kanu-Uche was kidnapped last week, while returning from a programme in the area alongside his chaplain, Abidemi Shittu and the Church’s Owerri Bishop, Dennis Okechukwu.

The clerics were released nearly two days later after paying N100 million to the kidnappers.

In an interview with Arise TV, on Thursday which was rebroadcast Saturday morning, the prelate said their vehicle was attacked by a group of eight heavily-armed young men dressed in black attire.

He said his driver had attempted to circumvent the kidnappers when they jumped out of the bush, but they fired shots and deflated their vehicle’s tyres.

“After two of them fired shots at our tyres, our vehicle started swooping and fell,” he recalled.

The cleric noted they forced them inside a forest after the leader of the kidnappers introduced himself as the commander-general of the forest in the area and also in charge of kidnappings from Lokpa, Isuochi, Ihube and Isikwuato, all in Abia State.

According to the Methodist Prelate, the commander told him that they were not robbers but only kidnap for ransom, assuring that they would be freed if they were able to pay the agreed ransom.

The Commander later warned the cleric that they would behead them and dump their corpses in a big gully without being traced if they failed to pay the ransom.

Mr Kanu-Uche said they were joined in the vehicle by two male officials of the church who ran away during the attack.

The cleric said they threatened to kill one of them when he pleaded with the kidnappers to accept N50 million as ransom.

“They said the least money you can pay us and we will accept is N100 million,” the cleric said.

Mr Kanu-Uche said the kidnappers said the money would be shared with their sponsors.

He said the church rallied around to bring the money to the kidnappers before they were asked to go.

“When they went to collect the ransom (from our people), they brought in more people hidden somewhere with more guns.

“And they were heartless. When they said, ‘you can go,’ they didn’t even give us even N200 to board a bike. Nothing. They just allowed us to walk like that. It was the worst humiliation I have ever witnessed in life,” he said.

He said they stole his wedding ring worth $150 and other valuables.

Mr Kanu-Uche also revealed the identities of the kidnappers, insisting that members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra had no hand in his ordeal.

“It was a full kidnapping by Fulani herdsmen. Their cattle were very close there. And I am suspecting that those who cut off peoples’ heads are not really Igbos. Igbos are not known for cutting peoples’ heads,” he said.

The Methodist prelate, who hails from Ihube in Imo State, said when he spoke to his colleague in Igbo language, the leader of the kidnappers interrupted in Igboland language explaining to the prelate that he grew up in Umuahia and also understood the language.

The gang leader also told the cleric that he joined the kidnapping business because he has been shouldering the responsibilities of fending for his younger siblings after he lost his parents.

“There are Fulanis children born in Igboland. You cannot differentiate them (from original Igbos). They grew up there (in Igboland) and integrated themselves into Igbos,” the cleric said, trying to explain the leader’s fluency in Igbo language despite being a Fulani.

On the kind of people the kidnappers are, the cleric said, “some of them are stack illiterates. Only one (of them) was communicating fluently.”

Explaining further, Mr Kanu-Uche said, “their leader said he was a Fulani from Sudan and that about five of them are all Fulanis from Sudan and two of them were from Mali and one of them was from Songhai. But they have lived in Nigeria for many years.

Soldiers complicit, Mr Kanu-Uche insists
Earlier, the Nigeria Army has denied claims that its troops were complicit in the kidnap of the cleric and his colleagues, but Mr Kanu-Uche insisted that soldiers whose checkpoint was close to the area cannot deny complicity.

“In fact, people saw one (unidentified) boy at the front of the military checkpoint (close to the area). So, our man wanted to harass him (by shouting) ‘what are you doing there? Who are you?’ (but) the military said ‘hey! hey!! hey!!! Leave him. He came to drop something for us.’

“And it is the same military people that normally say to people, ‘don’t cross here, if you cross this line, we will fire you. Don’t go inside the bush,” he narrated.

“So, why are they shielding the people (suspected kidnappers)? Why are they shielding them?” the cleric queried. “Some people have plan to do something in this country. But only God will foil it.”

News

Economic Hardship: Pastor Suspends Collection Of Offerings Church[VIDEO]

Published

39 mins ago

May 19, 2024

Editor

A pastor in Lagos state has caught the eyes of Nigerians after announcing the suspension of offering collection in his church.

In a trending video, the pastor could be seen telling his church members that henceforth, offerings will no longer be collected because of the situation of the country.

He stated that in these times that people spend more money to buy petrol and pay more for transportation, it would be unfair to collect offerings from them.

He said until the petrol price is reduced, his church will not collect money from its congregation. He called on all pastors to stop collecting offerings from their congregation.

Watch the video below:

News

Shettima Launches NEDC’s School Enrollment Drive Programme

Published

14 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched the Accelerated Senior Secondary School Education Programme (ASSEP) initiated by the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) in collaboration with the office of the VP to enhance child enrollment drive in schools within the North-East sub-region.

Speaking during the launching of the programme in Bauchi on Saturday, the VP said that consequences of the nation’s action and inaction were evident in all indices used to assess development.

He said while primary education provides a foundation, secondary education is a bridge, adding that the Northeast sub-region has been the victim of inability to enforce a uniform policy to drive school and the persistent cultural perversion to formal education in the country.

“We in the Northeast occupy a quantum of position in ranking of essential services. Education being a key sector of this country, this is especially pronounced in the post primary education, while the Northeast secondary school enrollment drive stands at 19 percent, far below the nation’s 39 percent,” he said.

Earlier, the Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, said that the primary education completion level of 85 per cent in the Northeast is among the best in Nigeria, but secondary school enrolment is a mere 15 per cent, the second worst nationally.

According to him, due to the challenges in the post-primary education segment, JAMB UTME applications and admissions into tertiary institutions in 2019 were the lowest for the Northeast compared to other regions.

He added that, nationally, the Northeast has the lowest number of teachers and the highest percentage 55 per cent of those available are without literacy skills.

The MD also revealed that the challenges in the post-primary education segment include weak quality indices and a wide demand-supply gap driven by economic and cultural factors.

“The Accelerated Senior Secondary Education Programme seeks to boost the post primary education rating across the North East region through improved enrolment into tertiary institutions.

“It’s also to improve skills development as well as the elevation of teacher quality. It would pay special focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and communication.

“These would foster creativity and critical thinking; motivates and inspires young people to generate new technologies and ideas to learn from inquiry-based tasks,” he said.

Alkali also explained that the programme would also raise awareness about after-school possibilities and the potential for diligent students to become successful and prominent contributors to the North East region and Nigeria at large.

He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government especially, the Vice President for the deep interest and commitment to human development in the North-East.

News

Edo Police Break Silence On Operatives Fighting Dirty In Viral Video

Published

14 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The Edo State Police Command says a trending video showing two operatives of the command engaging in a fight is a handiwork of mischief makers.

In the video which has gone viral on the internet, two policemen are seen fighting themselves, while a voice commentary in the background claims they are from the Igueben Decisional Police Station headquarters in the state.

A writeup also attached to a version of the video sighted by Info Daily also claims that the policemen were fighting because of sharing formula of money collected from motorists on the highway. The writeup also claims that the incident happened yesterday, May 17th, 2024.

But reacting to the viral video in a statement issued by SP Chidi Nwabuzor, Police Public Relations Officer, the command said contrary to the claim, the incident happened in 2020, adding that disciplinary measures were taken against the erring policemen.

The statement which issued electronically to newsmen in Benin on Saturday evening partly reads: “Edo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that it’s aware of a video trending on the internet showing two policemen that engaged themselves in a fight in public spaces and wishes to state as follows that;

“The now trending video happened in April 2020 in a community called Ebelle in the Igueben local government area of Edo State.

“The two erring policemen, namely; (i) F/NO.491112 CPL Ozimeade Aidonojie and (ii) F/NO. 516384 PC Salubi Stephen were attached to Ebelle Police Divisional Headquarters.

“They defaulted, tried in an orderly and upon conviction dismissed from the Force for the offence of discreditable conduct contrary to Paragraph ‘E’ Sub Section 111 of the Police Act and Regulations 370 Cap. P19 of Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

Nwabuzor in the statement reiterated the state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, commitment to “making Edo State a desired secured state where the law abiding citizens and the general public go about their lawful businesses in making Edo State economic hubs of Nigeria without fear or intimidation.”