Four days after he was abducted by gunmen along the Elele-Isiokpo Road in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Rev. Father Livinus Maurice and two others have regained their freedom.
Niger Delta Herald Online recalls that Father Maurice, who is the Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isiokpo, was kidnapped while returning from a hospital visitation along with two others whose identities are yet to be ascertained last Wednesday.
Following the abduction, the Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt, on behalf of the Bishop, Bernadine Anaele, in a statement, had called for the unconditional release of the priest.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the release of the trio in a statement in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Iringe-Koko said the manhunt launched by the police yielded results with the release of the priest and the two others. She said they were freed by their captors at about 6:30 a.m. on Sunday due to the pressure mounted by a team of policemen, soldiers from the Joint Task Force, and vigilantes.
The statement reads, “Please be informed that today, February 16, 2022, at about 0630 hrs, information was received that the kidnapped victims, Rev. Maurice Livinus and others, have been released by their captor.
Their release came after pressure from the combined efforts of the security team comprising policemen, soldiers from the Joint Task Force in Isiokpo, and the local vigilantes.
The victims have been reunited with their families for medical attention, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the culprits.
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