One of the seven suspected kidnappers of two Catholic priests in Pankshin, Plateau State, Christopher Yaro, has explained the incidents leading to his arrest in Ogun State.
It may be recalled that two Catholic priests — Father Kenneth Kanwa and Father Jude Nwachukwu — were abducted by seven persons from the St. Vincent de Paul Fier Parish in the Diocese of Pankshin in Plateau State on February 1, 2024. The abductors were reportedly armed with four K.2 rifles.
The suspects, two of whom were later discovered to be members of the priests’ parish, demanded N25m ransom from the priests’ families and church members.
After a week of the abduction, the chairman of the Plateau State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Polycarp Lubo, confirmed that the priests had been released, but he did not state if any ransom was paid.
Narrating how Yaro was smoked out, the Ogun State Police Command said its men arrested the suspected kidnapper in Ago-Iwoye area of the state.
The spokesperson for the command, Omolola Odutola, made this known on Tuesday [today], noting that policemen in the Ago-Iwoye area of the state caught the suspect on Monday.
Odutola said Yaro claimed that he fled Pankshin over fear that members of the community might attack him after they discovered that he was involved in the abduction of the two priests.
She said, “At about 4:25pm on Monday, we received intelligence that a kidnap suspect, Christopher Yaro, had escaped to Ijebu-Ode after he was alleged to have conspired with another member of the church and five other men to kidnap the two Reverend Fathers in the Pankshin area of Plateau State.
“The suspects were with four K.2 rifles when they carried out the crime. Yaro has been arrested. Further information will be made available to the public as soon as the investigation is completed.”
