Panic As Gunmen Shoot Sporadically In The Air, Abduct Catholic Priest In Imo

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The Nation reports that some gunmen on Sunday morning abducted a Catholic priest in Imo State.

The priest, Rev. Prof. Izu Marcell Onyeocha, was said to have been abducted around 7:00 a.m at Ihube Community in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State along Enugu -Port Harcourt Express Road.

The victim, who is a lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities at the Imo State University, is a native of Avuru Community in Ikeduru council area.

He was said to have been on transit from Enugu to Owerri when the incident happened.

According to a resident of Okigwe town, the cleric was driving when the gunmen accosted him.

The gunmen were said to have shot sporadically into the air to force him to stop.

It was not clear if the cleric drove alone but a resident said: “The kidnappers shot sporadically in the air to scare away other road users at the scene of the operation. They drove the cleric in his car at the scene of the incident”.

Imo police spokesperson Orlando Ikeokwu could not respond to enquires from The Nation as his phone line rang out without answer.