A suspect arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu has confessed to planning the crime due to financial hardship. Authorities have withheld the suspect’s name, but he spoke to reporters on Thursday at the Headquarters of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Jos, Plateau State. He admitted to organizing the priest’s kidnapping in an attempt to raise N200,000 for personal needs.
“Fr. Okechukwu was living in our house in Tachira, and I planned his abduction because I needed N200,000. I invited some people from other locations to assist me, but I never intended for him to be killed,” the suspect explained.
Rev. Fr. Okechukwu, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, was kidnapped on March 4 from his residence in Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area. Tragically, his body was discovered the following day.
Another individual in custody admitted to being involved but denied participating in the priest’s murder. “At first, I refused to take part, but he insisted. Eventually, he brought in others from Bokkos in Plateau, who arrived with firearms. After we kidnapped the priest and traveled a certain distance, we left him with them. I don’t know why they killed him,” the suspect stated.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, security forces apprehended the suspects during a military operation in Warsa-Piti, Lere Local Government Area. OPSH officials confirmed that investigations are ongoing to capture the remaining individuals linked to the crime.
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