Twelve years after his ministry in Kenya, East African Italian-born Catholic priest Sandro Ferretto has married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo County.

According to Kenya Times, the couple exchanged vows in a traditional ceremony on 6 September at Seretion Village in Kasiela, a community where Mr Ferretto previously served as parish priest.

The event brought together relatives, local leaders, elders and friends of the bride, who witnessed the Koito ceremony, a significant Kalenjin custom centred on dowry negotiations and family blessings.

Ferretto’s ministry

Mr Ferretto, 55, began his priesthood in Italy before taking his ministry to Kenya, where he spent more than a decade working with local communities.

The Diocese of Padua ordained him as a priest, and he arrived in Kenya in 2008 to begin missionary service. He worked around Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu and became involved in pastoral outreach, youth programmes and community-based development efforts in Baringo.

He eventually returned to Italy in December 2020 with another missionary, Fr Mariano Dal Ponte.

In 2023, the priest assumed responsibility for a pastoral unit in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, in the Padua diocese. His duties covered eight churches in the area.

His tenure, however, lasted only several months. In December 2023, he celebrated a final Mass before stepping aside from the position to take time for reflection.

The decision reportedly caught some of his colleagues off guard because he gave them little notice.

The Diocese of Padua later acknowledged his withdrawal from pastoral duties, stressing that he continued to serve as a priest and had no connection to any controversy. The diocese described the decision as a requested period away from pastoral ministry.

During his break, Mr Ferretto was reportedly involved in volunteer work with a migrant support group in Padua.

Reunion and law
Mr Ferretto later returned to Kenya and reunited with Ms Jepng’ok, whom he met during his missionary work in Baringo.

Residents of the area widely knew him as “Father Sandro” after he spent more than a decade working with families, youth organisations and church congregations. Baringo is also Ms Jepng’ok’s home region.

Catholic canon law requires Latin Rite priests to observe celibacy and bars them from marrying while they remain in active ministry. The Church considers the commitment a lifelong obligation of the priesthood.

For a priest to marry, he must first be formally removed from the clerical state through a process approved by the Vatican. Known as laicisation, the process ends his status as a priest and normally includes a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy.

Only after receiving the necessary approval can a former priest marry. Without it, the marriage would contravene Catholic canon law and would not be recognised by the Church.

The Ondo State Government on Wednesday confirmed the deaths of some people in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state following the consumption of a herbal liquid substance.

No fewer than 24 residents of two communities in the council area, Araromi Obu and Odigbo town, reportedly lost their lives after consuming the substance.

The incident, which was said to have occurred on Saturday, has thrown the affected communities into mourning.

A source in the area said the deceased consumed the substance on Saturday at different locations but later became unconscious, leading to their deaths, while some others who also consumed the substance were rushed to the hospital.

The source said, “They (the deceased) drank the herbal substance and started dying, eight people died in Araromi Obu while 16 lost their lives in Odigbo town but we are yet to confirm if it is what they drank that killed them but we are sure that the people died after drinking the herbal drinks.

“Some of the people died in their sleep while some died when they got home and many are still in the hospital as I am talking to you.”

Confirming the incident in a telephone interview, the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Mr Taiwo Adegoroye, said the deceased consumed the substance before the incident, adding that they were waiting for a medical team to carry out autopsies to determine the actual cause of the deaths.

Adegoroye said, “We can confirm the death of 24 people, eight in Araromi Obu and 16 in Odigbo town and many are still on admission at hospitals. But we are yet to ascertain the cause of the death and we are still waiting for the team from the state Ministry of Health to carry out the test on the deceased. That is why we can’t specifically say the real cause.”

The chairman also said he had placed a ban on the sale and consumption of locally brewed alcoholic drinks in the area as a precautionary measure.

According to him, a preliminary verbal autopsy conducted by the local government health team indicated a possible link between the reported deaths and the consumption of the substances.

In the same vein, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, also confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, saying investigations were underway to establish the actual cause of the deaths.

Ajaka did not immediately disclose the specific substance suspected to have caused the deaths, but said medical and health officials would conduct further assessments in the affected communities.

“The government is taking the matter seriously and we will provide more details after the ongoing investigation has established the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Meanwhile, some youths in the town staged a mini protest and went to the palace of the Odigbo traditional ruler to demand explanations and urgent measures to prevent further loss of life.

Addressing the youths, the monarch of the town, Oba Rufus Akinrinmade, appealed for calm and assured them that efforts would be made to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the deaths and find a lasting solution to the situation.

The Benue Police Command says it has arrested 46 persons allegedly involved in the obstruction of the movement of Mr Peter Obi during his visit to the state on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Cletus Nwadiogbu, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Makurdi while addressing journalists on the incident.

Nwadiogbu said the command was informed of Obi’s visit at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 7, prompting it to deploy adequate security, including three police escort vehicles and personnel led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

He said Obi’s movement was subsequently obstructed by a group of persons, creating tension and a situation that could have degenerated into violence.

According to him, the police made a professional and tactical decision not to use force immediately in order to prevent possible loss of lives and destruction of property.

He said Obi was eventually escorted safely back to the airport and departed the state peacefully.

The commissioner stressed that the tactical decision should not be mistaken for police inaction, saying the command immediately commenced intelligence-led operations to identify those responsible.

He said the command has so far arrested 46 suspects in connection to the crime.

“Key arrests have been made, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend all other persons connected with the incident,” he said.

Nwadiogbu said the command remained a neutral and professional institution, adding that every Nigerian had the right to freedom of movement irrespective of political affiliation, status or personal belief.

“No individual or group has the right to unlawfully obstruct another person’s movement,” he said.

The commissioner further disclosed that the investigation was ongoing and that those found culpable would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

He urged members of the public to remain calm and allow the police to conclude their investigation.

Nwadiogbu further explained that the visit had been presented to him as a non-campaign visit to families affected by the Yelwata crisis.

He said Obi’s representatives had indicated that only a small number of persons would accompany him, prompting the command to provide enhanced VIP security.

The commissioner also said he was personally handling a separate security crisis involving road blockades around Taka and Guma when he received information about the obstruction of Obi’s convoy.

He said the command had deployed undercover personnel to identify those responsible for the incident and establish their motives.

Nwadiogbu warned that with the country approaching a sensitive political period ahead of the 2027 elections, security agencies would not allow actions capable of escalating tensions to go unchecked.

He assured residents that the police would continue to act professionally while enforcing the law and protecting lives and property. (NAN)