Gunmen have kidnapped the Bishop of Jebba Diocese of the Anglican Communion Church in Kwara State, Rev’d. Oluwaseun Aderogba, his wife and driver as they were fixing faulty vehicle on Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway in Oyo State.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on Sunday evening at an isolated area of the road.
Narrating how they were attacked, the Bishop’s Chaplain, who narrowly escaped, said: “We were travelling from Jebba to Oyo, when it was a few kilometres to Oyo, our vehicle developed a mechanical fault. My Lord bishop called the Lord Bishop of Oyo, Aladekugbe, for help.
“But before help could come, some armed men surrounded and ordered My Lord Bishop, his wife and the driver into the bush. I was lucky. They didn’t see me because of my black cassock. I lay flat on my belly to hide myself while they marched my bishop and wife deep into the forest.”
Shortly after the incident, Bishop Aladekugbe reportedly alerted the leadership of the church, Most Rev’d. Henry Ndukuba, and other members of the House of Bishops.
And around 11.30 pm, the gunmen reached out to the church to demand N50m ransom before they would release the victims.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command’s spokesman, Adewale Osifeso, who confirmed the incident in a statement, disclosed that the victims were kidnapped on Sunday evening while traveling from Yewa, Ogun State, to Jebba en route Oyo-Ogbomoso Road.
He said the victims were seized by the armed men at an isolated area of the road and whisked away into an unknown destination.
Osifeso said the state police command had commenced rescue operation.
He further disclosed that tactical teams of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Ambush Squad, Puff Adder, Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the conventional police personnel, local hunters and vigilantes are in the rescue operations.
