Gunmen on Thursday night launched an attack on the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary at Ivianokpodi, Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, killing a Civil Defense Corps officer assigned to the school and abducting three students.
The attack, which occurred around 9:00 p.m., is the second violent incident targeting the seminary in the last ten months.
In a previous attack, a priest was kidnapped and another person killed.
Confirming the incident, the Director of Social Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa, expressed deep concern over the recurring violence targeting Catholic institutions in the region.
“This is thesecond time in 10 months that the school had been attacked,” Egielewa said. “Ten months ago, a priest was kidnapped. And now three seminarians were abducted and a Civil Defense Corps is killed, while a local vigilante sustained gun injuries.”
Egielewa condemned the repeated attacks and called on authorities at all levels to take urgent action to protect lives and property within the Catholic diocese.
“We call on the government to protect the lives of all those who work in Catholic institutions and our diocese,” he stated. “We hope the security agencies at the local, state, and federal level take up the responsibility on that, so our people can be in peace and safety.” He concluded.
