The Anambra State Police Command has successfully rescued Reverend Father Stephen Echezona, who was abducted by gunmen at a petrol station in Ichida, Anaocha Local Government Area.
The attackers, who arrived in a white Lexus SUV without a license plate, seized the priest and fled in his own vehicle after abandoning theirs during a confrontation with security operatives.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said a combined team of security forces, including the police, military, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and local vigilante groups from Ichida and Ihiala, rescued the priest unharmed in the early hours of March 23, 2025.
“In the early hours of today, March 23, 2025, a Joint Security team comprising the Police, Military, Civil Defence, AVG Ichida, and Ihiala secured the release of Rev. Father Stephen Echezona at Ihiala. The priest was returned unharmed,” Ikenga stated.
He explained that the assailants engaged security operatives in a gun battle at the petrol station before abandoning their Lexus SUV in an attempt to escape.
“The victim was abducted at a fuel station in Ichida, where a joint security force engaged the armed criminals in a gun duel. The assailants abandoned the white Lexus and, in a bid to flee due to the superior firepower of the Joint Security Team, held the Rev. Father hostage,” he said.
According to Ikenga, security forces immediately launched a coordinated pursuit, alerting multiple checkpoints across the state. The pressure forced the kidnappers to abandon the priest in Ihiala and flee into a nearby forest.
“In a coordinated hot chase by the operatives, different security checkpoints and security operatives in the state were alerted, which resulted in the criminals abandoning the priest at Ihiala and escaping through a nearby bush,” he added.
He assured that security forces had taken control of the area in Ihiala and were working to apprehend the fleeing suspects, while efforts were also underway to recover the priest’s Toyota Highlander.
“Further developments will be communicated as investigations continue,” Ikenga noted.
