Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Monday abducted the duo of Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli and Seminarian Peter Andrew at St. Peter Catholic Church in the Ivukwa community, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The spokesman for the state police command, Moses Yamu, confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday in Benin City.
He said one of the suspected kidnappers was killed, while four others were arrested by the operatives.
Yamu said: “On March 3, 2025, at about 11:30 p.m., the command received a distress call from a concerned citizen that armed men, suspected to be herdsmen, stormed St. Peter Catholic Church in Ivukwa, Etsako East LGA, and abducted Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli and Seminarian Peter Andrew.
“One of the suspects, whose name remains unknown, was neutralised, and his corpse has been deposited at the General Hospital, Agenebode.
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“Items recovered from the suspect include two pairs of rubber shoes, a button phone with two SIM cards, a power bank, a dagger jacket, a bag containing biscuits and Nescafé beverage, and N168,850 in cash.
The four arrested suspects were identified as Murtala Ibrahim (32), Joshua Joseph (31), Sadiq Sheidu (35), and Sunday Bulus (28).
“The state Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, has ordered the deployment of additional anti-kidnapping operatives and Police Mobile Force personnel to work with the military to release the victims and apprehend the kidnappers.”
Source: Ripples