Bishop Felix Ajakaye of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti on Tuesday confirmed the release of one of his priests, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade, abducted by gunmen in Ido Ekiti, last Tuesday.
Ajakaye who disclosed this at a news conference in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, added that the diocese did not pay any ransom to the abductors to facilitate the priest’s release.
The prelate said that the abductors had demanded N200 million as ransom when the priest was abducted but the church refused to pay.
Ajakaye said: “This morning, we thank God, we saw him, God did it and I thank everybody for their prayers because we rely on God, we believe in God and God can do anything.
“But we told our people not to abuse the abductors because we wouldn’t want the abductors to be cursed and we want things to change for the better in our state and Nigeria as a whole.
“What happened to Fr. Akingbade happened to every member of the Church, so all over the world, people were praying.’’
“They were even threatening that they would kill him if we refused to pay the ransom. And I told them that he sacrificed himself right from the day he was ordained. But, we were still negotiating. They asked me how much we could afford, I said, even, one kobo, we cannot afford”, the Bishop said.
“We are glad that God took control. We told them we would be praying. I told them that they should know that they are children of God, that the priest should be released unconditionally, that we are not paying any kobo.
“I pray that what has happened to Fr. Akingbade will put an end to all these nonsense in Ekiti state, particularly abduction.
If a Catholic priest can be abducted in his room, then nobody is safe.”
The bishop lamented the sad experience the church went through during the priest’s abduction.
He described the development and other vices plaguing the country, particularly Ekiti state, as “a menace that must be fixed.”
“This thing must be addressed and all of us must speak against it.’’
Ajakaye lauded the security agencies for their role.
He called on Nigerians to assist governments at all levels to adequately equip security operatives in their quest to tackle the various security challenges in the country.
Akingbade is currently the Parish Priest of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, Ido Ekiti and doubles as the Assistant Director in the Legal Department of the Diocese’s Justice Development and Peace Initiative
