The Prelate of Nigeria’s Methodist Church, His Eminence, Samuel Kanu-Uche, kidnapped by hoodlums in Abia State, has stated that N100m was paid by the church to safeguard his freedom.
In a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, 31 May, the cleric stated the accused showed him decomposing dead bodies of some ex victims.
On Sunday, 29 May, Kanu-Uche was kidnapped near the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway located in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
He was kidnapped along with his chaplain, Very Rev. Abidemi Shittu, and the Bishop of Owerri, Rt. Rev. Dennis Mark.
The Prelate stated that his team was heading to the airport when they were suddenly attacked.
He stated, “To catch up with my flight around 4 pm, we took off by 2 pm to go to the airport, oblivious that kidnappers were waiting on the street.”
“As we descended to Ileru in Abia State, they came out from the bush and split themselves into groups of three.”
The group then fired shots at their vehicle and kidnapped three of them. The church’s communication man and the driver managed to escape.
He highlighted that the gang of eight men consisted of ‘Fulani boys’ who were against the government.
The cleric also said that only one understood English, and others spoke Fulfulde.
He added, “We were taken into the bush, and we walked up to 15 kilometres. Eventually, around 11 pm, they stated we should negotiate, and each of us must pay N50m, making N150m.”
He said when he tried to decrease the ransom, the gang intimidated him to shoot him, adding that their leader was about 35 years old.
Kanu-Uche said the men later decreased the ransom to N100m.
The cleric stated he reached out to leaders of the church and his wife to raise the money by all means.
