The Catholic priest of Wukari Diocese, Rev. Richard Unom in Ikyaior village, Wukari Local Government Council has alleged that Soldiers have assaulted members of the church.
Rev. Unom told Journalists that the soldiers threatened to kill him despite identifying himself as a priest.
He expressed deep concerns over the invasion of his home by heavily armed soldiers, claiming that the soldiers tortured him and his cook, Terhemen Cornelius, without any justification.
The soldiers, according to him, claimed to be on a mission to search for some criminals in the area.
“I had just reported to my new station at the All Saints Pastoral Centre on August 2, 2024.
“On August 5, around 9 am, six military vehicles and motorcycles entered the church premises. I approached them, introduced myself as the priest in charge, and inquired about their presence,” he said.
Rev. Unom stated that after he went inside to prepare for a trip to Wukari Town, but cries of his cook brought him out and found his cook being brutalized by the soldiers.
“Despite my pleas for mercy, they knocked me to the ground and targeted my face. I turned away to protect myself. Fortunately, one soldier intervened and prevented further injury,” he said.
The Catholic priest called on the relevant authorities to wade in by bringing the soldiers to justice, as his cook sustained severe injuries, including the loss of an eye.
Reacting on the incident, the spokesperson for the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army in Jalingo, Captain Oni Olubodunde, confirmed the incident, but cast doubt about genuineness of the soldiers involved.
“I am aware of the incident, but those responsible are not personnel from our brigade. I doubt if they are even genuine army personnel,” he said.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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