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By Madu Obi
Abia and Anambra State Police commands have disagreed over the alleged kidnap of the Archbishop of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Bishop Uka Uka Osim, his wife, son and three other priests in his entourage.
While the Anambra Police Command denied knowledge of the incident, its Abia State counterpart is insisting that the incident actually occurred in Anambra State.
The Archbishop and those in his entourage were said to have been kidnapped while traveling from Abia to Awka, Anambra State.
Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Tochukwu Ikenga in a statement said: "Anambra State Police command wishes to inform members of the public that from inquiries made from our respective Area Commands, Police Divisional Headquarters, and otherwise, there is no such record of any incident as mentioned in the state.
"The command has been relatively calm as police and other security agencies are strategically positioned in many areas of the state, while some operatives are on crime prevention patrol aimed to address any untoward situations.
"In view of this, the command calls on members of the public to assist us with information regarding the above-mentioned incident if such happened. This will enable us to embark on the investigation."
But the Abia State Police command on Sunday stated emphatically that the abduction of the Archbishop and those in his entourage occurred in Anambra State and not Abia as earlier reported by some sections of the media.
The spokesman of the Abia State Police command, ASP Maureen Chinaka said one of the Bishops of the denomination confirmed the abduction to the police.
She said, however, that the precise location or area in Anambra State where the priests were kidnapped was not revealed.
“Based on our findings, the alleged kidnap of the Archbishop of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star occurred in Anambra State. This was confirmed by one of the Bishops of the church in Aba," she said.
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