Nnewi — The kidnapped retired Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop Diocese of Nnewi, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, has reportedly regained his freedom from his abductor.
Most Prof. Okpala regained his freedom alongside his driver 25 days after his abduction in Umuchu where he had gone to attend the burial ceremony of a Bishop colleague who lost his in-law.
Okpala, a 75-year-old was the pioneer Bishop of the Diocese of Nnewi before he became Archbishop of the Province of the Niger. For twenty-five days of his captive, information concerning his whereabouts and possible demands of ransom from his abductors were kept secret as all efforts to speak with the authorities at the Diocese of Nnewi Anglican Communion, refused to speak with newsmen.
Even with the Archbishop and his driver's alleged release, the effort to speak with the Bishop of the Diocese of Nnewi, Rt. Rev. Ndubisi Obi has proved abortive as several calls put to his phone have not been picked.
However, information about the circumstances surrounding the release of the Archbishop and his driver's release are still sketchy as sources said they escaped from the kidnappers' den, while another said they were released after payment of an undisclosed sum of money for ransom.
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, a Superintendent of Police, said the command does not have any official information about the kidnap and the release of the Archbishop and his driver.
However, Archbishop Okpala confirmed his release through a post on his social media handle on Thursday morning. The Archbishop, who had not been active on his social media handle since his kidnap, however, made a post titled, "Praise the Lord" on his official Facebook page, signifying his freedom.
This was immediately followed by hundreds of reactions from people, thanking God for his freedom.
The Archbishop's release and that of his driver is also being celebrated on the media platforms of many Anglican churches and Dioceses in the state and beyond.
It would be recalled that the gentleman and respected retired Archbishop, Prof. Okpala, and his driver were last seen on Friday, December 8, on their way to attend a burial ceremony in Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Reports indicated that since then, the Archbishop and his driver never arrived at their destination nor returned, as their whereabouts remained unknown, while all attempts to establish contact with him or the driver were unsuccessful.
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While speculations abound that the Archbishop and his driver might have been kidnapped by gunmen on their way to the burial, this development not only added to the already existing tension in Anambra state, but also plunged the Anglican faithful, particularly in the Nnewi Diocese, and his hometown of Adazi-Ani, into a state of deep anxiety and restlessness.
The Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi, who then confirmed the ugly incident to newsmen, also issued a heartfelt appeal for intercessory prayers the following day, urging the faithful to seek divine intervention for the safe return of the Archbishop and his driver, but never made another comment until their release.
