A key suspect in the kidnapping and killing of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has revealed that he orchestrated the abduction to raise ₦200,000 for personal needs.
Speaking at the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Jos on Thursday, the suspect admitted to planning the kidnapping but denied ordering the priest’s murder.
“Fr. Okechukwu was living in our house in Tachira. I arranged his abduction because I needed ₦200,000 to solve a problem,” he confessed.
He further explained that he enlisted the help of others but claimed ignorance about the killing.
“I invited some guys from other places to assist, but I never told them to kill him. I don’t know why they did it because I had already left before it happened,” he said.
Okechukwu was kidnapped on March 4 from his home in Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area, and his body was discovered the following day, March 5.
Another suspect, also in custody, revealed that he was pressured into joining the crime.
“At first, I refused, but he kept insisting. Since we grew up in the same community, I later agreed. On that day, I traveled from Warsa-Piti in Lere Local Government to join the operation. He also brought others from Bokkos in Plateau State, and they came with guns. After we kidnapped the priest and walked some distance, we left him with them. We don’t know why they killed him,” he stated.
The suspects were apprehended on Tuesday after a military raid in the Warsa-Piti community of Lere LGA, Kaduna State.
