By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, Worthy News
ABUJA (Worthy News) – A Catholic priest has been killed in Nigeria’s northwest by suspected Islamic criminals, also known as “bandits”, Christians confirmed Thursday.
The 45-year-old Priest Sylvester Okechukwu of the Archdiocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State was kidnapped on Tuesday and murdered “in the early hours of Ash Wednesday,” his church said.
“It is yet to be determined why he was killed,” added Priest Jacob Shanet, chancellor of the Kafanchan Diocese.
He said the late priest “was a dedicated servant of God who worked selflessly in the vineyard of the Lord, spreading the message of peace, love, and hope.”
Shanet added that Okechukwu was always available and accessible to his parishioners. “This untimely and brutal loss has left us heartbroken and devastated,” Shanet added in a statement monitored by Worthy News.
“His untimely death has left an indelible void within our diocesan family, and we share in the pain of his passing with his family, friends, and all those who knew and loved him,” Shanet said.
He urged the youth and other Christian community members to remain calm and steadfast in prayer. “No one should take the law into their hands,” he added.
MORE PRIESTS KILLED
Details of Okechukwu’s funeral were not immediately available.
His murder follows other attacks against Catholic priests and other Christians in the most populous African nation of 233 million people.
In the latest known incidents targeting prominent Catholics, on February 6, Cornelius Manzak Damulak, a priest of the Diocese of Shendam, and a student at Veritas University Abuja in Nigeria were abducted but later escaped from captivity, Catholic Church sources said.
Later, on February 19, Priest Moses Gyang Jah of St. Mary Maijuju Parish in the Shendam Diocese was kidnapped along with his niece and the parish council chairman, Nyam Ajiji. Chairman Ajiji was later reportedly killed, while Jah and his niece are yet to be freed.
Priests Matthew David Dutsemi and Abraham Saummam were abducted on February 22 from the Diocese of Yola. They have not yet been released, according to Catholic sources.
Nigeria has been experiencing insecurity since 2009, when the Boko Haram insurgency began with the aim of turning the country into an Islamic state.
Groups ranging from “bandits” to other Islamist groups have killed thousands of Christians, according to several researchers. “More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined,” said advocacy group Open Doors.
RANSOM DEMANDED
“Kidnap for ransom is [also] used regularly with the deliberate intention of destabilizing Christian families and the church,” the group added.
Some 3,100 Christians were killed, and 2,830 Christians were kidnapped in Nigeria last year, “far more than other countries in the same year,” Open Doors noticed.
The group has ranked Nigeria seventh on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations where Open Doors says it is most difficult to be a Christian.
“Jihadist violence continues to escalate in Nigeria, and Christians are at particular risk from targeted attacks by Islamic militant groups including Fulani militants, Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province),” Open Doors added in a recent assessment of Nigeria.
“These attacks are shockingly brutal in nature – many believers are killed, particularly men, while women are often kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence. These militants also destroy homes, churches, and livelihoods,” the group stressed.
More than 16.2 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, including high numbers from Nigeria, have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict, according to official data.
Millions now live in displacement camps, Christian aid workers and researchers say.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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