President of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Emmanuel Dziggau and two other clergy men who were abducted along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway by gunmen have regained their freedom after ten days in captivity.
Spokesman for the Kaduna State Police Command, Zubairu Abubakar, confirmed the freedom of the two religious leaders as well as the death of one of them to our correspondent.
Rev. Dziggau, Rev. Yakubu Dzarma and Rev. Iliya Anto were abducted on March 21 along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway where they had gone to clear a piece of land for the foundation of the church seminary.
However, Rev. Iliya Anto was said to have died after he was left in the bush by the kidnappers following his health condition.
A top official of United Church of Christ who pleaded anonymity said on Thursday, that Dziggau and Dzarma were freed on Wednesday night while the corpse of Rev. Anto was found, almost decomposing in the bush.
According to him, the two clergymen were immediately taken to a private hospital in Kaduna after they were brought to the church along Katsina Road in Kaduna metropolis.
According to him, “The person who went to collect them drove them on a bike from where they dropped them for four hours before they could reach a motorable road. This is very traumatic and they need some rest.”
The source explained that Anto’s corpse was found in the bush after he was abandoned by the kidnappers because of his ill health.
He said a day after their abduction, the kidnappers had called to inform that Anto was not well and they had dropped him at a location in the bush.
The source, however, declined to say whether a ransom was paid for the release of the two kidnapped clergies.
