He added that diocesan leadership “will use every legitimate means to ensure his quick and safe release.”
“May Jesus, crucified on the cross, listen to our prayers and hasten the unconditional release of his priest and all other kidnapped persons,” Okolo said.
Yakubu’s abduction is the latest in a series of kidnappings and murders in Nigeria involving members of the clergy, seminarians, and other Christians.
On June 7, Father Charles Onomhoale Igechi of Benin City Archdiocese, who was set to mark his first anniversary as a priest in August, was shot dead while returning from pastoral duties.
On June 2, Father Stanislaus Mbamara, a priest ministering in Nigeria’s Nnewi Diocese, was kidnapped and later set free.
Officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, to prioritize the security concerns and economic struggles of the people of God in the West African nation.