Nigerian Army debunks alleged complicity in abduction of Methodist Prelate

The Nigerian Army has debunked media reports alleging complicity of some of its men in the recent abduction for ransom, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Samuel Kanu-Uche.

The Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja the insinuation that troops were complicit in the kidnap incident could be swallowed hook line and sinker as it was not premised on any findings of investigations.

According to him, given the spate of insecurity in the region, the question would be, was the issue reported to the unit covering the area?

“Did the Methodist Church take the Nigerian Army into confidence while negotiating the ransom with the kidnappers? No formal complaint has been received by the unit.

“More worrisome is the fact that it was alleged that the ransom was paid in less than 24 hours.

“Was the ransom paid to troops? These are questions that beg for answers,” he said.

Nwachukwu said the Nigerian army unit had not received any debriefing from the Prelate or the Methodist Church.

He said troops were deployed at Forward Operating Base(FOB) Okigwe and in front of the Abia State University, Uturu.

The Army spokesperson also said no information was made available to them or to 14 Brigade or any other formation, except the information making the rounds in the social media.

He clarified that troops’ deployment in the Army is not done with considerations for ethnic affiliation.