A retired Anglican archbishop and his driver are still missing after they disappeared in southern Nigeria on a trip to a funeral, according to reports.
The Rev Godwin Okpala, retired archbishop of Niger Province in southeastern Nigeria, was last seen on 6 December, when he set out from Nnewi, Anambra state for the funeral in Umuchu, Aguata County in the same state. Neither he nor his driver arrived at their destination, according to the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion.
The Rev Ndubuisi Obi, Anglican Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, said in a 7 December statement that church leaders had not heard anything about his disappearance.
“There has been no communication, and neither he, his driver, nor the vehicle have been located,” Obi said. “We earnestly plead for your fervent prayers for their safety and swift return. The relevant authorities have been contacted, and we are hopeful and trusting in God’s divine intervention for a positive resolution.”
Southeast Nigeria, like other parts of the country, has continued to witness violence by Fulani herdsmen militia and other criminals. Church leaders have been killed or churches made to pay ransoms.
A Biafra secessionist movement has resurged in the region, and the Nigerian government has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for attacks, though the group has repeatedly denied its involvement.
“IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria,” Nigerian news outlet Premium Times recently stated.
An attorney who was attacked a day before Okpala disappeared, at Anambra state’s Ezinifite-Aguata roundabout said the criminals masquerading as Biafra “freedom fighters” might also have kidnapped the archbishop, according to outlet Politics Nigeria.
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