Gunmen attack Kukah’s church in Katsina, abduct priests, others

Unknown gunmen have abducted no fewer than two priests, following an attack on one of the parishes presided over by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah.

It was gathered that the gunmen also abducted two others in the attack which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday in the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Gidan Maikambo, in the Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Kukah’s Sokoto Diocese covers Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states.

The incident was confirmed by the Director, Social Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Fr Christopher Omotosho, noting that the whereabouts of the abductees were unknown.

Omotosho said: “The parish priest and his assistant Rev. Frs. Stephen Ojapa, MSP, and Oliver Okpara and two boys in the house were kidnapped.

“No information as to their whereabouts. Kindly pray for their safety and release,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Katsina State Police Command had yet to react to the incident as of the time of filing this report.

This is coming barely two weeks after hoodlums attacked some parishes presided over by Kukah in Sokoto following his condemnation of the gruesome murder of Deborah Yakubu, a 200-level Economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto State, who was killed for alleged blasphemy.

Omotosho had in a stated noted that the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral on Bello Way in the state was attacked by the protesters.

“They destroyed the glass windows of the church and those of Bishop Lawton Secretariat. The community bus parked within the premises of the secretariat was also vandalised.

“St. Kevin’s Catholic Church on Gidan Dere, Eastern By-pass was also attacked and partly burnt by the protesters. Windows of the hospital complex under construction on the same premises were also shattered,” he had stated.

Details later…

The Star