Retired Archbishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Godwin Okpala, has shared the harrowing details of his 27-day captivity after being abducted on December 6, 2024.
The clergyman, who was kidnapped alongside his driver, regained his freedom on January 3, 2025. His story has sparked renewed concerns about the alarming state of insecurity in Anambra State.
Speaking to journalists at his Nnewi residence during a visit from former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, Archbishop Okpala described the ordeal as “hellish.”
The 75-year-old recounted that his captors treated him and his driver inhumanely, kicking and disregarding their well-being. “They kicked us about like trash,” he said, adding that they were kept in a thick forest and subjected to harsh conditions.
When asked if his priestly status might have led to mistaken identity, the Archbishop dismissed the idea, stating that the kidnappers were indifferent to who he was.
He said: “Those 27 days were hellish because the people were not behaving like human beings. They kicked us about like thrash.
“They kept us in a very thick forest and none of them cared,” the Archbishop said.
Reacting to questions on whether his abduction was as a result of mistaken identity, and whether he was in his priestly attire, the retired prelate said it didn’t matter to the kidnappers who anyone was.
He said: “I was in my cassock and they knew that I was a Bishop, but they didn’t care. They pulled down my cassock, asked me to undress and I had only shorts, a shirt and my collar on.
“For the 27 days that I was with them, I didn’t take my bath, I didn’t brush my teeth. They were giving me water which I don’t know the source.
“They were giving me one meal a day and it was either rice or garri. The food was usually remnants from those they gave to boys who worked with them. They have cooks who prepared food there.”
The 75 years old Archbishop praised Peter Obi for coming to visit him, saying that since his return from the kidnappers’ den, no one had visited him until Obi came.
“He (Peter Obi) has again shown the humanity in him. I’m not the first person he is coming to see in this manner. I want to say thank you to Peter Obi who came to visit me after my travails.”
