Catholic Church Denies Edo Police Rescue Of Kidnapped Italian Priest

The Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City has released a police rescue report of a kidnapped Italian priest in Edo State.

The Edo State Police Command issued a statement saying that they assisted in the rescue of the Reverend Father from his kidnappers.

However, the Archdiocese of Benin City’s explanation of how Fr. Luigi Brenna was rescued from his kidnappers contradicts what the police said.

Reports say that the priest was kidnapped on Sunday, July 3, 2022, however he escaped.

Statement

The Edo State Police claimed to have rescued the Italian priest, but the Catholic Archdiocese says this is not the case.

According to Rev. Fr. Michael Oyanoafoh, Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, this incident happened when Fr. Luigi Brenna was watching a football game.

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Boys from the village were playing football around 5pm in Usen, in front of the Somascan community playing ground.

Michael Oyanoafoh later explained that the kidnap happened on Sunday, July 3, 2022.

Suddenly, he said, some men stormed the venue and started shooting, causing the football players to flee.

But they kidnapped Fr. Luigi Brenna, beat his head, hit his head and body with a machete, and dragged him away.

They gave him another beating after about half a kilometer of intense trekking and dragging, the clergyman adds.

They beat the Italian Priest because he refused to follow the abductors, so he fainted at that point.

The Chancellor says they took him to another hospital for treatment, and that he is responding well to it.

The Catholic Church and the police disagreed on the rescue of the Italian priest in Edo.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City said “it was not true” to the police rescue report.

Edo State Police Command says when operatives attached to Iguobazuwa Division received a hint saying suspected kidnappers kidnapped the 64-year-old Italian priest, they immediately swinged into action.

According to a spokesperson ASP Jennifer U. Iwegbu, it happened in Ogunwenyu through Usen community in Edo State’s Ovia South West local government area.

Iwegbu says the operatives followed the suspected kidnappers to their camp.

“The suspects opened fire on the operatives as soon as they saw them, but the superior firepower of the police operatives neutralized three of the kidnappers.”

“The rest flew into the forest with varying degrees of gunshot wounds and abandoned the Italian Priest.”

The Police said they immediately rushed the victim to Igbinedion Teaching Hospital, Okada for medical attention.

“Meanwhile, intensive bush combing goes on with the aim of arresting suspected kidnappers while they are on the run.” She said.

On that same Sunday, July 3 2022, gunmen kidnapped two Catholic priests from Edo State in southern Nigeria.

It happened two weeks after kidnappers killed a priest in the State.

The police named Reverend Father Udo Peter and Reverend Father Philemon Oboh as the victims.

Edo State Police spokesperson Chidi Nwabuzor said the incident happened along the Benin-Auchi Expressway.

Last week, some gunmen killed Rev. Fr. Christopher Odia, who was the priest in charge of St. Michael Catholic Church in Ikabigbo, in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.

As he was prepared to go mass, he was kidnapped in his house, and was later killed.

Police operatives are also carrying out an aggressive manhunt to arrest the kidnappers and rescue the two Rev. Fathers.

Source: BBC Pidgin