A Catholic seminarian and other worshippers abducted by gunmen at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, Affa, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, have been released.
DAILY POST reported that the victims were kidnapped during a church service on Sunday morning when gunmen invaded the church.
The development was announced by social media influencer, Sen Chijinkem Ugwuanyi, in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Ugwuanyi said the victims were released from captivity following sustained efforts by security operatives and local authorities to track down the kidnappers.
He commended Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, for his intervention, saying the governor had given the kidnappers a “tough fight” since the abduction occurred.
According to him, the Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, in Enugu State, the governor’s aide-de-camp and the Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Ogbonnia Agu, were part of the team that pursued the kidnappers.
“To God be the glory. Those our brothers that were kidnapped in a Catholic church at Affa have been released from captivity,” Ugwuanyi wrote.
He added that the sustained pressure on the kidnappers eventually forced them to release the victims.
The victims had been abducted alongside a catechist and another worshipper.
The catechist was reportedly released shortly after the attack, while the seminarian and another victim remained in captivity.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the release.