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The abducted retired Anglican Archbishop of the Niger Province and former Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Prof. Godwin Okpala, and his driver have regained freedom from their captors after about 25 days.
Okpala, together with his driver, went missing on Friday, December 7, 2024, after they set out on a trip to Umuchu community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State but failed to arrive at their destination.
Recall that a day after the abduction that a prayer request issued by the Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi called for intercessory prayers for the Archbishop’s safe return.
About 10 days later, their continued abduction generated tension, anxiety, and concerns among residents and critical stakeholders in the state.
Since then, their whereabouts remained unknown, and the development continued to generate tension and anxiety among critical stakeholders and politicians across the state until the news of their release filtered in early on Thursday.
The information about their release was reliably gathered from the Diocese, which was confirmed by a high-ranking officer and source in the Church, as well as a short statement obtained from the source.
The Archbishop, who also confirmed his freedom in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday, simply wrote, “Praise the Lord!”, with many reactions following immediately and followers thanking God for his freedom.
Although, the details of their release could not be officially obtained, as the source declined to confirm if any ransom was paid or not.
The source said, “We rejoice at the wonderful news that His Grace, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, retired Anglican Archbishop of the Niger Province and Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, has been safely released from captivity along with his driver.
“This is a heartfelt New Year’s gift to the entire Anglican Communion and Anambra State at large. We await the official response of the church.”
Although the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached for confirmation as calls and messages to his telephone line were not responded to.
But his release is being celebrated on various social media platforms of the Anglican Communion, our correspondent reports.
