A suspect arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu has confessed to orchestrating the crime, blaming financial desperation as his motive. The suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, spoke to reporters at the Headquarters of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday.

He revealed that he planned the kidnapping to raise N200,000 for a personal issue, admitting that Fr. Okechukwu was living in his house in Tachira at the time. “I invited some guys from other places to assist me in the operation, but I didn’t ask them to kill him,” the suspect said. 

Fr. Okechukwu, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, was abducted on March 4 at his residence in Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area. His body was found the next day. 

Another suspect in custody admitted to being recruited for the kidnapping but denied involvement in the priest’s death. “At first, I refused to join, but he insisted. He later brought in others from Bokkos in Plateau, who came with guns. After we kidnapped the priest and walked for some distance, we left him with them. I don’t know why they killed him,” the second suspect said. 

According to reports, troops arrested the suspects during a raid on a settlement in Warsa-Piti, Lere Local Government Area. Officials from OPSH confirmed that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the crime.