Tue May 9, 2023 – 2:11 pm EDT
(LifeSiteNews) — Two priests who had been abducted in southern Nigeria at the end of April were just released last week.
According to African news outlet Agenzia Fides, Fr. Chochos Kunav and his colleague Fr. Raphael Ogigba, were freed by their captors on Thursday, May 4, after being held several nights in captivity. Kunav is a member of the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Fathers, and Ogigba is a priest of the diocese of Warri, stationed at St. Francis Church in Agbara Otor, in Delta State.
READ: Two more priests abducted in Nigeria as persecution of Christians continues
The Diocese of Warri confirmed to Fides on Friday, May 5, that the priests “were released yesterday, they are in good health, but were hospitalized for examination,” adding, “we thank all those who prayed for the prompt release of the two priests.”
Local news reported that the abductors demanded a ransom in exchange for the priests’ release, but the Nigerian Bishops’ Conference has declared for several years that no ransoms will be paid for the release of priests or religious. Reports did not state whether a ransom had been paid
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