Methodist Prelate says his abductors were Fulani, who spoke Igbo, may be behind the beheadings in S’East

The Methodist Prelate said: “You can’t differentiate them; they went to school here, their parents were big men cattle dealers, their mothers used to fry ‘Akara’ we bought when we were young; so they grew up here and integrated themselves into the society.”

By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor

The Prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, Dr Samuel Kanu-Uche, has given insight into the identities of his abductors.  

He said they were Fulani boys who spoke Igbo fluently, some of them even born in the South East and attended school there.

Recall that the Methodist Prelate was kidnapped last week and a ransom of N100 million paid to secure his release along with four other travelling companions.

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were first suspected to be behind the kidnapping until the Methodist Prelate regained freedom and revealed the identities of those who seized him.

In an interview on Arise TV, the Methodist Prelate said his abductors told him they were Fulani from Sudan, Mali and Songhai and have been living in Igboland for a very long time. They were children of wealthy Fulani cow traders who were born in the South East and have integrated with the local communities.

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Hear him: “He (the leader of the kidnappers) said he was a Fulani from Sudan and that about five of them were Fulani from Sudan; about two of them there were from Mali and one of them was from Songhai, but that they have lived in Nigeria for many years. So, I spoke to my Bishop, the Fulani then spoke in Igbo that he lives in Umuahia, played football in Umuahia and his parents lived in Umuahia and his father was a cow dealer – herdsmen but unfortunately, the parents died leaving him and his siblings and that he’s the one fending for his siblings.

“What they did to me had nothing to do with IPOB; it was pure kidnapping by Fulani herdsmen because their cattle were very close and manned by some people that have nothing to do with IPOB and I’m beginning to suspect that these are the people who cut off people’s heads; they are not clearly Igbos, Igbos are not known for cutting people’s heads but they are Fulani children, born in Igbo land.

“You can’t differentiate them; they went to school here, their parents were big men cattle dealers, their mothers used to fry ‘Akara’ we bought when we were young; so they grew up here and integrated themselves into the society.”