Troops from Sector 7 of the Special Task Force, codenamed Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), have arrested the suspected killers of Reverend Father Sylvester Okechukwu, a Catholic cleric who was abducted and murdered in Tachira Village, Kaura Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
According to a statement from OPSH Media Officer, Major Samson Zhakom, the suspects were apprehended on Tuesday following a raid on the hideout of the prime suspect in Ruga settlement, located in Warsa-Piti Village, Lere Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
Major Zhakom stated that the primary suspect, 33-year-old Pate Yau, confessed during interrogation that he had been hired by Douglas Henry, a resident of the same house as the slain priest, to kidnap Father Okechukwu.
In a follow-up operation, the troops also arrested Henry at Agwan Sariki Tachira in Kaura LGA. The arrested suspects are currently in custody and undergoing further interrogation.
Father Okechukwu, the parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Tachira, was kidnapped on March 4, 2025, at around 9:40 pm from his residence. His lifeless body was discovered the next day, March 5, which was Ash Wednesday.
