The Catholic Diocese of Port-Harcourt has confirmed the incident through a statement signed by its Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Bernadine Anaele.
Unidentified gunmen have reportedly kidnapped a Catholic priest named Rev. Fr. Livinus Maurice, along with two others in Rivers State.
Fr. Maurice, who is the Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area, was taken on Wednesday while he was on his way back from visiting a hospital along the Elele-Isiokpo Road.
The diocese asked the community to pray for the safe and immediate return of the priest and his companions.
“Even though we have reported the situation to the security agencies, we encourage the faithful of Port Harcourt Diocese and all of Nigeria to pray harder for the safe and unconditional release of the priest and the others,” part of the statement said.
In addition, Grace Iringe-Koko, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident and stated that security forces are actively looking into the matter.
“The command is aware of what happened, and we are working hard to ensure that the priest and the two others are released safely,” she stated.
