An Italian Catholic Priest, Fr. Luigi Brena, who was kidnapped along Ogunwenyi, Usen community in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State has been rescued by the police.
This was confirmed by Jennifer Iwegbu, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Edo State Police Command.
Iwegbu said men of the Nigerian police killed three of the suspects after the clergy was abducted on Sunday in the evening.
There have been cases of kidnapping of clergymen in Edo and across Nigeria. Recall that gunmen recently abducted two Catholic priests along the Benin-Auchi Expressway.
See Also: Catholic Priests Abducted along Expressway in Edo
The two priests identified as Fr Udo Peter of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Uromi, and Fr. Philemon Oboh of St. Joseph Retreat Centre in Esan South East Local Government Area of the state are yet to be freed by their abductors.
Narrating how Fr. Brena was rescued, Iwegbu said that officers attached to Iguobazuwa division trailed the suspected kidnappers to their hideout after they were informed of the incident in the evening of Sunday.
She stated that the gunmen fired shots at the officers who gallantly responded.
She said, “The superior firepower of the police operatives neutralised three of the kidnappers while the rest escaped into the forest with various degrees of gunshot injuries, abandoning their victim.
“The victim was immediately rushed to Igbinedion Teaching Hospital, Okada for medical attention. Meanwhile, intensive bush combing is ongoing with the aim of arresting the suspected kidnappers now on the run.”
Source: Vanguard