Kidnapped Ebonyi Cleric Rescued as Police Disrupt Suspected Cult Meeting
A kidnapped Methodist Church cleric in Ebonyi State, Reverend Sunday Ede, has been rescued by the police and reunited with his family after armed men reportedly abducted him in front of his church.
Ede, a cleric with the Methodist Church in Ndulo Amofia, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, was abducted after two armed men reportedly blocked his vehicle, forced him out and escaped with him on a motorcycle.
The Ebonyi State Police Command said its operatives swung into action immediately after receiving a distress call about the incident and launched a pursuit of the abductors.
According to a statement by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Joshua Ukandu, the victim has been rescued and reunited with his family, while efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
The police said the rescue was part of its ongoing operations aimed at tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes across Ebonyi State.
In a separate operation, police operatives also disrupted a suspected cult gathering around a bakery in the Kpirikpiri area of Mile 50, Abakaliki.
The Command said it received intelligence on September 7 about a meeting of suspected cultists in the area and immediately mobilised operatives to the location.
One suspect, identified as Chisom Osim, was arrested during the operation.
Police said a locally made Beretta pistol loaded with one round of 9mm ammunition was recovered from the suspect.
A mobile phone belonging to a victim who was reportedly robbed earlier that night was also recovered.
The latest operations come as the Ebonyi Police Command intensifies efforts to prevent criminal activities and protect residents across the state.
The Command assured residents that it would continue to pursue criminals and deny them safe havens, while urging members of the public to provide timely information that could assist security agencies in preventing crime.This version gives the story a stronger human opening, keeps the kidnapping rescue as the main news, and uses the cult operation as a secondary development.
