JUST-IN: Troops Arrest Suspects Behind Murder of Catholic Cleric in Kaduna

Troops from Sector 7 of the Special Task Force, codenamed Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), have successfully arrested the individuals responsible for the killing of Catholic cleric Reverend Father Sylvester Okechukwu.

Father Okechukwu was abducted and murdered in Tachira Village, located in the Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

OPSH Media Officer, Major Samson Zhakom, confirmed the arrests in a statement issued from Jos, Plateau State. According to Major Zhakom, the suspects were apprehended on Tuesday following a raid on the hideout of the prime suspect, Pate Yau, located at Ruga settlement in Warsa-Piti Village, Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

During questioning, Yau, 33, confessed that he had been contracted by one Douglas Henry, who was residing in the same house as the murdered priest, to carry out the abduction.

Following this revelation, the troops conducted a follow-up operation and arrested Henry at Agwan Sariki Tachira in Kaura Local Government Area. The suspects are now in custody and are undergoing further interrogation.

LEADERSHIP recalls that Reverend Father Okechukwu, the parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tachira, was kidnapped on March 4, 2025, at approximately 9:40 pm from his residence. His lifeless body was discovered the following day, March 5, which was Ash Wednesday.