Four nuns kidnapped in southeast Nigeria on their way to mass

Lately, armed gangs have been kidnapping individuals for ransom, primarily in northwest Nigeria.

Catholic nuns arrive forward of a protest march over endless killings of Nigerians in Abuja, Nigeria March 1, 2020. [Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters]

Unknown gunmen have kidnapped 4 Catholic nuns on a freeway in Nigeria’s oil-producing Imo state, within the newest signal of widespread insecurity making street journey unsafe.

The kidnapping, which occurred on Sunday, was introduced on Monday by the convent they belonged to.

Zita Ihedoro, secretary-general of Sisters of Jesus, the Saviour Generalate, mentioned the 4 nuns had been kidnapped whereas travelling from Rivers state to Imo, each within the southeast, for a thanksgiving mass on Sunday.

“We implore for intense prayer for his or her fast and secure launch,” Ihedoro mentioned in a press release.

Lately, armed gangs have been kidnapping individuals, together with clergymen, for ransom from villages and on highways primarily within the northwest lately. The observe has unfold to different elements of the nation, rising insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation.

In July, two clergymen had been kidnapped at a operate within the northwestern state of Kaduna almost two weeks after one other priest was taken from his parish in the identical state.

Throughout the northwest, Nigeria’s navy has began an air offensive to get rid of the armed teams liable for kidnapping residents from villages and cities within the area.