By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – NINE days after he was kidnapped, the Catholic Priest of St. Peter Catholic Church, Ivukwa in Etsako East local government area, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa has been reportedly released by his abductors.

But the fate of the seminarian who was abducted with him, Peter Andrew, remained unknown as conflicting reports say he had been killed while another says his whereabouts are still unknown.

A source from the community close to the Catholic Church claimed that not less than N20 million may have been paid for the release, but they claimed that he was rescued.

A viral video showed a kidnap victim surrounded by uniform men believed to be vigilante who in the video claimed that he was kidnapped and put in the same location with the priest and seminarian, he said they were all forced to close their eyes and in the process they heard a gunshot and then they were told to open their eyes and they saw the seminarian gasping for breath before he died.

He said they trekked to somewhere in Edo central from where he escaped.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, claimed that the priest was rescued by the police and that the police would soon come up with an official statement.