A man arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu has admitted to masterminding the crime, citing financial desperation as his motive.
The suspect, whose name has been withheld, told reporters at the Headquarters of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday that he orchestrated the priest’s kidnapping to raise N200,000 for a personal issue.
“Fr. Okechukwu was living in our house at Tachira, and I planned his kidnap because I needed N200,000. I invited some guys from other places to assist me in the operation, but I didn’t ask them to kill him,” he claimed.
Okechukwu, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, was abducted on March 4 at his residence in Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area.
However, his body was discovered the following day.
Another suspect, also in custody, admitted being recruited but denied involvement in the priest’s death.
“At first, I refused to join, but he insisted. He later brought in others from Bokkos in Plateau, who came with guns. After we kidnapped the priest and walked for some distance, we left him with them. I don’t know why they killed him,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigerian reports that the troops arrested the suspects during a raid on a settlement in Warsa-Piti, Lere Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, OPSH officials confirmed that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.
