Soldiers from Operation Safe Haven have arrested two suspects linked to the killing of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Maj. Samson Zhakom, the media officer for the military task force, in Jos.
Rev. Fr. Okechukwu was abducted from his residence in Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area, on March 4 at around 9:15 p.m. Sadly, his body was discovered the next day, March 5.
Authorities have been investigating the case, and on Tuesday, troops raided a settlement in the Warsa-Piti community of Lere LGA, where they apprehended two suspects.
Zhakom stated, “The suspects were arrested following a raid on the prime suspect’s hideout located at a Ruga settlement in Warsa-Piti community, following a raid by troops in a settlement at the Lere LGA of Kaduna State.”
During an initial investigation, one of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, allegedly admitted that he had been hired by another individual to carry out the kidnapping. According to reports, the person who contracted him was a resident of the same house as the slain priest.
Following this confession, the military carried out another operation and arrested the second suspect at Agwan Sarki in Tachira, Kaura LGA.
“The suspects are in custody undergoing further interrogation,” Zhakom noted.
The military has stated that investigations are still ongoing as they work to locate any other individuals involved in the crime.
