A seminarian abducted on March 3 from a parish rectory in the Nigerian Diocese of Auchi was murdered by his abductors, an official of the diocese has confirmed. The priest he was abducted with has been released.
In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on March 15, the director of communication of the Auchi Diocese, Father Peter Egielewa, confirmed the safe release of Father Philip Ekweli at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, ending 10 days of captivity in the hands of his abductors.
“He is now receiving appropriate medical attention,” Egielewa said.
“Unfortunately, however, the 21-year-old major seminarian, Andrew Peter, who was kidnapped along with Father Ekweli, was gruesomely murdered by the abductors,” Egielewa’s statement continued. He expressed the Nigerian episcopal see’s “sincere condolences to the family members of Andrew Peter, praying God to grant them consolation and strength in this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace.”
Ekweli and Andrew Peter were kidnapped from the rectory of St. Peter Catholic Church Iviukhua-Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo state when gunmen attacked both the rectory and church, destroyed doors and windows, and led them into the surrounding forest.
In the March 14 statement, Egielewa said the local ordinary, Bishop Gabriel Ghiakhomo Dunia, expressed “gratitude to all for the prayers and moral support received while Father Ekweli and the seminarian were held in captivity.”
Ghiakhomo called on the Nigerian state and federal government as well as the country’s security agencies to “stop the deteriorating security situation in Edo north in particular and other parts of Edo state, which has now become a safe haven for kidnappers, operating at will while the people feel helpless and abandoned.”
The bishop further urged the government to “take proactive steps to deplore the necessary resources to Edo north to secure lives and property of the people. Life has been hell for our people in recent times.”
“People are not safe on the roads, in their farms, and even in their homes,” he said. “This is unacceptable when there are elected officials whose duty it is to protect the people.”
Ghiakhomo expressed gratitude to the Edo state government for its “sincere efforts in seeing the victims rescued” but expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the police in particular in the rescue efforts, urging them to put in place better measures to rescue kidnapped victims rather than leave the entire rescue efforts solely in the hands of family, friends, and acquaintances of kidnapped victims.
In the March 14 statement, Egielewa lamented that “in the last 10 years, Auchi Diocese has had six of her priests kidnapped, tortured, and released, three attacked but escaped, and one (Father Christopher Odia) brutally murdered in 2022 and now seminarian Andrew Peter also murdered.”
“May the souls of seminarian Andrew Peter, Father Christopher Odia, and all those killed by kidnappers in Nigeria, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen,” he implored.
Insecurity is rife in Nigeria, where kidnappings, murder, and other forms of persecution against Christians remain rampant in many parts of the West African country, especially in the north.
On March 5, Father Sylvester Okechukwu of the Diocese of Kafanchan was murdered a day after his abduction on March 4.
The latest abduction of Ekweli and the murder of Andrew Peter follows a series of other kidnappings that have targeted Catholic priests in Africa’s most populous nation.
On Feb. 6, Father Cornelius Manzak Damulak, a member of the clergy of the Diocese of Shendam and a student at Veritas University Abuja in Nigeria, was abducted and later escaped from captivity.
Later, on Feb. 19, Father Moses Gyang Jah of St. Mary Maijuju Parish of Shendam Diocese was abducted alongside his niece and the parish council chairman, Nyam Ajiji. Ajiji was reportedly killed; Jah and his niece are yet to be freed.
On Feb. 22, Father Matthew David Dutsemi and Father Abraham Saummam were abducted from the Diocese of Yola. They were later released.
Nigeria has been experiencing insecurity since 2009, when Boko Haram insurgency began with the aim of turning the country into an Islamic state.
Catholic bishops in the country, Africa’s most populous nation, have continually challenged the government to prioritize the security of its citizens.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.
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