A chief suspect in the kidnapping and killing of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu has provided reasons for his actions in an exclusive interview with NAN.
The suspect, who said he needed N200,000 to solve a personal problem, spoke to NAN at the Headquarters of the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), where he is currently being held on Thursday in Jos.
The suspect is helping detectives unravel the cause of the incident and how to arrest other suspects now on the run.
Okechukwu, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, was abducted on March 4, at about 9:15 p.m. at his residence in Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area of the state.
He was later found dead on March 5.
The prime suspect, who said he invited other criminals from elsewhere to accomplish the assignment, denied asking his colleagues to kill the priest.
“Fr. Okechukwu is living in our house at Tachira, and I masterminded his kidnap because I needed N200,000 to solve a personal problem.
I invited some guys (colleagues) from other places to assist me to accomplish the mission, but I didn’t ask them to kill him.
I don’t know why they (allegedly) killed him; I was not with them because I later left them with the priest,” he said.
Another suspect, whose name was withheld, also being held at OPSH, said the chief suspect had called him to assist in executing the crime.
“At first, I refused to be part of the deal, but the chief suspect insisted. The chief suspect and I grew up in the same community.
So, on the said date, I left my place in Warsa-Piti, Lere Local Government Area, and participated in the kidnap of the priest.
He actually contacted other guys from Bokkos, Plateau State, who came with guns; after we took the priest and walked for some distance, we left him with them.
So, we can’t say how and why they allegedly killed the priest,” he said.
An official of OPSH, who preferred anonymity, said that the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, following a raid conducted by troops in a settlement at Warsa-Piti, Lere Local Government Area.
The official added that investigations were ongoing to uncover the whereabouts of the remaining suspects who allegedly participated in the heinous crime.