Another Catholic priest, Fr. Jude Onyebadi, pastor of the church of St.
Peter and Paul in Issele-Azagba, in the Delta region in the south of the
Country has been kidnapped in Nigeria.
According to information sent to
Agenzia Fides, he was seized on December 16 by three armed men
suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, in his pineapple plantation.
The kidnappers initially asked for 50 million Naira (152,000 euros),
then went down to 20 million (61,000 euros) Naira for the release of the
priest.
The Director of Social Communications of the Diocese of Issele-Uku,
Charles Uganwa, confirmed the kidnapping and called on the kidnappers to
release the hostages unconditionally, remembering that the Catholic
Church does not pay ransoms.
In 2016, several Catholic priests were kidnapped in Nigeria, especially
in the southern regions.
Fr. Sylvester Onmoke, President of the Nigerian
Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, NCDPA has described "the recent
spate of kidnappings of priests and religious as an assault on the
Church."