16 days after, another Bishop, wife abducted, N50m ransom demanded

Barely 16 days after the abduction of the Methodist Church Prelate, Dr. Kanu-Uche, and N100 million ransom paid, another senior Christian cleric, the Bishop of Jebba Diocese of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Rt.Rev. Oluwaseun Aderogba, and his wife, have been kidnapped.

They were abducted on Sunday evening on the Ogbomoso/Oyo road in the Southwest region of Nigeria.

“We were traveling from Jebba to Oyo. A few kilometers to Oyo, our vehicle developed a fault. My Lord Bishop called the Lord Bishop of Oyo, Bishop Aladekugbe, for help.

“However, before the help surfaced, some armed men surrounded them and ordered them into the bush.

“I was lucky I was not visible because of my black cassock. I fell flat on my belly to hide myself while they marched my bishop and wife deep into the forest,” the diocesan chaplain, who made a lucky escaped from the scene, said in a statement.

Persecondnews recalls that on May 29, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr (Rev.) Samuel Kanu-Uche, was kidnapped in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State while returning from a programme in the area alongside his chaplain, Abidemi Shittu and the Church’s Owerri Bishop, Dennis Okechukwu.

The clerics were released about two days after on payment of N100 million ransom.

Kanu-Uche said their vehicle was attacked by a group of eight heavily-armed young men dressed in black attire.

He said his driver had attempted to evade the kidnappers when they jumped out of the bush, but they fired shots and deflated their vehicle’s tyres.

“After two of them fired shots at our tyres, our vehicle started swooping and fell.”

Meanwhile, Bishop Aladekugbe has alerted the Primate of Anglican Communion, the Most Revd. Henry Ndukuba, and the corps of Bishops.

The kidnappers have demanded a N50 million ransom.