The Nigerian Army says it will invite for questioning the prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria Samuel Kanu-Uche over his claims that soldiers were culpable in his recent kidnap.
Army spokesman Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement on Wednesday said that the deployment of troops of Fulani ethnic extraction, who, as alleged by the prelate, carried out the dastardly act was not its practice.
“Given our professional disposition and zero tolerance for any misconduct in the Nigerian Army, we will take this weighty allegation seriously.
“We will approach the prelate and the Methodist church to unravel the basis for the allegation,” he said.
Kanu-Uche was kidnapped on Sunday along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State while on his way to the airport.
He was kidnapped alongside the Bishop of Owerri, Rt. Rev. Dennis Mark and the prelate’s chaplain. They were released on Monday after the sum of N100 million was paid as ransom.
Nwachukwu noted that the claim that troops were complicit in the kidnap was not premised on any investigation.
“Did the Methodist Church take the Nigerian Army into confidence while negotiating the ransom with the kidnappers? No formal complaint has been received by the unit.
“More worrisome is the fact that it was alleged that the ransom was paid in less than 24 hours. Was the ransom paid to troops? These are questions that beg for answers,” he said.
