They were kidnapped along the New Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the kidnapping of an Anglican Bishop, his wife and driver by suspected kidnappers in Oyo State.
According to a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Bishop, Rt. Reverend Oluwaseun Aderogba of the Jebba Diocese in Kwara State was in the company of his wife who is a technologist in the Department of Crop Protection at the University of Ilorin and their driver when they were kidnapped along the New Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, said on Sunday, June 12, 2022, that “at about 2100hrs, one Reverend Adekunle Adeluwa reported to the command through an incident report at Atiba Divisional Police Headquarters, Oyo town that at about 2030hrs, one Bishop, Rt. Reverend Aderogba of Jebba Diocese in Kwara State in the company of his wife and driver was kidnapped.”
The statement further said “Preliminary investigations reveals that the victim’s vehicle developed what seemed a mechanical fault while travelling from Yewa, Ogun State to Jebba, Kwara State en route an isolated area along New Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.”
The statement signed on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, added that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations of the Command was in charge of the rescue operation that commenced since Sunday.
“All the tactical teams of the Command Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Ambush Squad, Puff Adder, Police Mobile Force, Counter-terrorism Unit and Conventional Police personnel along with local hunters and vigilantes are all involved in the rescue operations.
“Meanwhile, discreet investigation led by the State Criminal Investigation Department is simultaneously being vigorously embarked upon to ensure that the victims are rescued unhurt.”
Meanwhile, in Ilorin, the Kwara State Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Sunday Adewole, who confirmed the development, said the victims were kidnapped on Sunday evening when they were attempting to fix their faulty vehicle along the highway adding that the abductors had contacted the church demanding the sum of N50million as ransom.
Bishop Adewole who described the incident as a total collapse of the security architecture of the country said the political class was not sincere in addressing the issue but on winning the 2023 elections.