The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, CP Kenechukwu Onwuemelie says the abduction of Archbishop of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Uka Uka Osim by gunmen did not happen in the State, rather in Anambra.
The Abia police boss in a statement signed by the PRO of the command, ASP Maureen Chinaka, and made available to ABN TV on Saturday said an online report which claimed that the cleric and others were kidnapped in Abia on Wednesday, May 1 was “misleading“.
The CP said the command has carried out an investigation and contacted the source, one Bishop Dennis Onuoha of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star was quoted in the report as having confirmed the abduction of the Archbishop.
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The statement reads in part, “On Saturday 04/05/2024, some online reports had quoted one Bishop Dennis Onuoha of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, as having stated that Archbishop Osim, his wife, son, and three other priests of the religious group were kidnapped in Abia while on their way to Anambra State.
“Abia State Police Command has investigated the story, and contacted Bishop Dennis Onuoha, who denied stating that the incident occurred in Abia State. The Bishop confirmed that the kidnapping incident did not occur in Abia but rather in Awka, Anambra State, on Wednesday 1 May 2024.”
The CP therefore urged the media, bloggers, and online reporters to always crosscheck their facts by contacting the appropriate authorities before publishing their stories.
