Benue Catholic Diocese announces abduction of seminarian
Diocese of Otukpo Confirms Abduction of Seminarian
The Catholic Diocese of Otukpo has reported the abduction of seminarian Kelvin Ochai, an incident officials describe as deeply distressing. The announcement was made in a statement by Diocesan Chancellor Rev. Fr. Joseph Aboyi Itodo, who indicated that the abduction occurred on Wednesday at the Bishop’s Residence in Asa III, Otukpo, Benue State.
Most Rev. Michael Ekwoyi Apochi, Bishop of the Diocese, expressed profound sadness over the situation and urged both members of the Catholic faith and the wider community to pray for Ochai’s swift and safe return.
Fr. Aboyi stated that the Diocese is actively working to secure the seminarian’s release while also remembering others who are currently in the custody of kidnappers across the nation.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the abduction were not provided at the time of this report.
However, a spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Orchia Aondogwu, noted that the command has not yet confirmed the kidnapping. “The information we have is that the seminarian went out to take a bath in a location different from his residence. After some time, he was no longer found, which makes this a case of a missing person for now,” he explained.
Aondogwu added that reports of an attempted abduction at the same residence two weeks prior had not been officially documented. “We only began hearing about it following the recent incident,” he stated.
Police investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding Ochai’s disappearance.
