Nigerian army to question Methodist Prelate over soldiers’ involvement in his abduction

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday denied that military personnel was aiding kidnappers in the South-East region.

Shortly after regaining freedom from his abductors, The Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Uche who was abducted on Sunday along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, had while narrating his near-death experience at the hands of kidnappers alleged that some soldiers from the North were working with the kidnappers in the South-East region.

In reaction to the Prelate’s claim, the Nigerian Army stated that it will question the Methodist Prelate and the Methodist Church over the allegation.

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The Nigerian army wrote on Facebook;
“ALLEGED COMPLICITY BY SOLDIERS IN BISHOP’S KIDNAP UNSUBSTANTIATED

“The Nigerian Army (NA) has been notified of the insinuation making the rounds on social media, alleging the complicity of troops of the Nigerian Army in the kidnap incident of the Methodist Prelate in Abia state recently.

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“While the Nigerian Army expresses concern and sympathy for the victim of this heinous crime and shares in his pains, the insinuation that troops are complicit in the kidnap incident is not entirely premised on any findings of investigations and therefore cannot be swallowed hook line and sinker. This allegation, therefore, raises some pertinent questions which are still unanswered.

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“Given, the spate of insecurity in the region, the question would be, was the issue reported to the unit covering the area? Did the Methodist Church take the NA into confidence while negotiating the ransom with the kidnappers? No formal complaint has been received by the unit. More worrisome is the fact that it was alleged that the ransom was paid in less than 24 hours. Was the ransom paid to troops? These are questions that beg for answers.

“Moreso, the NA unit, has not received any debrief from the Prelate or the Methodist Church.

“It is, therefore, important to state that troops are deployed at forwarding Operating Base(FOB) Okigwe and in front of the Abia State University Uturu and no information was made available to them or to 14 Brigade or any other formation, except the information making the rounds in the social media.

“It must be clarified that troops’ deployment in the Nigerian Army is not done with considerations for ethnic affiliation, hence a deployment of troops of Fulani ethnic extraction who as alleged by the Prelate, carried out the dastardly act is not our practice or modus operandi in the NA.

Given our professional disposition and zero tolerance for any misconduct in the Nigerian Army , we will take this weighty allegation seriously and approach the Prelate and the Methodist church to unravel the basis for the allegation.

ONYEMA NWACHUKWU
Brigadier General
Director Army Public Relations
1 June 2022”