At least 204 Catholic priests and seminarians have been abducted in Nigeria, with 15 of them killed while in captivity in the last 10 years.
The most recent victims include Peter Andrew, a seminarian who was kidnapped and murdered in Auchi, Edo State, on March 14, and Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu, a priest from the Kafanchan Diocese, who was killed on March 5.
The National Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Michael Umoh, gave the figures in an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.
He explained that, over the past decade, Catholic priests and seminarians had become frequent targets of religious extremists and non-state actors.
Umoh added that the figures were not exhaustive, as many other priests, religious communities, and convent sisters have also been kidnapped, with ongoing data collection.
“In the past decade, at least 204 Catholic priests and seminarians have been abducted,” Umoh said.
“No fewer than 15 were brutally killed while in captivity, and at least three others died from trauma after their release.”
A document circulating within Nigerian Catholic circles, which details the statistics of Catholic clergy kidnappings over the past 10 years, identifies the Okigwe Diocese in Imo State as having the highest number of abductions.
Other dioceses with significant numbers of kidnapped priests and seminarians include Port Harcourt (Rivers State), Kafanchan and Kaduna (Kaduna State), Nsukka (Enugu State), Warri (Delta State), and Ekwulobia and Awka (both in Anambra State).
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has repeatedly called on the government to take decisive action against the rising tide of banditry, kidnappings, and killings, particularly the alarming abduction and murder of priests and seminarians.
During a recent courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu, CBCN President, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, along with his delegation, urged the Federal Government to prioritise national security for the sake of peace and societal development.
The bishops also raised concerns about religious freedom, asking the government to ensure justice for Christian minorities in northern Nigeria and fairness in land allocation for places of worship.
Additionally, Bishop Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese has lamented the heavy financial burden placed on the church due to ransom payments for kidnapped clergy.
As of 2023, Kukah revealed that the church had spent over N30m on rescuing priests, seminarians, and other pastoral caregivers in northern Nigeria alone.
