Terrorists have continued their free reign on Niger State communities, abducting the Catholic Parish Priest of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Sarkin Pawa, Headquarters of Munya Local Government Area of the State, Very Reverend Father Leo Raphael Ozigi and 44 other villagers.
Sources confirmed that Reverend Father Ozigi was abducted Sunday evening on his way to Gwada from Sarkin Pawa when he ran into terrorists operating on the Sarkin Pawa-Gwada road. They whisked him away alongside other villagers.
Secretary, Niger State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Raphael Opawoye, who spoke on the Reverend Father’s abduction, said: “Very Rev Dr Leo Raphael Ozigi was kidnapped on Sunday on his way back to Gwada from Sarkin Pawa after the Sunday Service.”
Secretary, Munya Local Government, James Jagaba, who described the renewed banditry operations in Munya Local Government since Saturday, added: “The entire Munya Local Government is in disarray. The situation in the area is pathetic. There’s kidnap in all part of the local government.”
A resident in the area, Shehu Abubakar, confirmed that the 44 other abducted villagers were among those who returned to their communities from IDP camps on Saturday.
Abubakar noted that “the bandits moved freely on the road from Sarkin Pawa to Gwada unchallenged.
“We are worried because it seems our problem is yet to be over. People have just started returning on Saturday to prepare for yam plantation.
“Government encouraged us to go back to our communities that there was going to be security arrangements. People started returning on Saturday and these criminals invaded us again.”
He lamented that terrorists who have been operating unchallenged since Saturday moved freely on the Sarkin Pawa-Gwada road with the herds of cattle they rusted during attacks on communities.
First published in Daily Trust