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Catholic diocese in Nigeria condemns brutal assault on priest by military

August 14, 2024 Catholic News Agency 0
Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein of Nigeria’s Wukari Diocese and one of the church stewards who lost an eye. / Credit: Wukari Diocese

ACI Africa, Aug 14, 2024 / 17:06 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Wukari in Nigeria has condemned an attack on All Saints Catholic Church Ikyaior by the Nigerian military personnel on Aug. 5 in which the priest in charge and his stewards were assaulted and badly injured.

In the attack, said to have happened between 9 and 10 a.m., one of the church stewards lost an eye, according to a statement the diocese shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on Tuesday, Aug. 13.

The diocese noted that military personnel suspected to be from Makurdi in Nigeria’s Benue state arrived at the residence of Father Bernard Unum and assaulted him along with his stewards.

“They arrived in approximately six military trucks and motorcycles and proceeded to assault Father Unum and others present. During the attack, Cornelius Terhemen, Father Unum’s steward, sustained severe injuries, resulting in the loss of an eye,” the statement read.

The Nigerian diocese expressed shock following the incident, which is said to have occurred within the church premises despite the institution’s constant collaboration with government bodies in promoting development, justice, and peace.

The attackers continued to attack the priest even after he identified himself to the assailants.

While condemning the attack, the diocese called upon the chief of army staff “to identify and hold accountable the personnel responsible for this act of brutality.”

In the statement signed by the vicar pastoral, Father James Yaro, and the chancellor, Father Simon Akuraga, the diocese also urged the governor of Taraba state, which the diocese covers, to ensure a thorough investigation into the matter is conducted and appropriate action taken. 

“We demand the immediate return of Father Bernard’s confiscated phone and appropriate compensation for Cornelius Terhemen, whose eye was permanently damaged due to the assault,” the officials of the diocese said.

They added: “The Catholic Diocese of Wukari remains committed to supporting and collaborating with the government to ensure peace and stability in our communities.”

“As a law-abiding institution, we believe in the institution of government and anticipate prompt and decisive action from the government on this matter,” they said.

This article was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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Nigeria archdiocese appeals for prayers for priest abducted from parish rectory

June 10, 2024 Catholic News Agency 0
Father Gabriel Ukeh was kidnapped from Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Kaduna on June 9, 2024. / Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna

ACI Africa, Jun 10, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Kaduna is appealing for prayers for the “urgent and safe release” of Father Gabriel Ukeh, who was abducted from a parish rectory on June 9.

On Monday, June 10, the chancellor of the archdiocese, Father Emmanuel Faweh Kazakh, shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, information that indicates Ukeh was taken from the rectory of St. Thomas Zaman Dabo Parish in the Kaduna Archdiocese in the early hours of Sunday.

Kazakh appealed to the Nigerian government to act on the rampant abductions of priests in the country.

“While we solicit for fervent prayers for his urgent and safe release, we equally condemn this act of incessant kidnappings for ransom of innocent and defenseless citizens of our communities, and we call upon the government to horn its security intelligence as we approach the celebration of Sallah [marking the end of Ramadan],” the chancellor said.

“As we work with security operatives for his quick release, we wish to call on all to stay away from taking the laws into their hands,” he continued. “We will use every legitimate means to ensure that Father comes back to us safe and sound.” 

Kazakh offered this prayer: “Through the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Priests and Religious, may Jesus the crucified hearken to our prayers and hasten the unconditional release of his priest and every other abducted person.”

Nigeria has been battling a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom and, in some cases, murdering people.

An insurgency by Boko Haram, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa’s most populous nation into an Islamic nation, has been a major challenge in the country since 2009.

The latest abduction of Ukeh follows a series of other kidnappings that have targeted members of the clergy in Nigeria. Father Oliver Buba, a priest of the Diocese of Yola, was abducted on May 21 and later released.

On May 15, the Archdiocese of Onitsha announced the abduction of Father Basil Gbuzuo. He was later set free.

This article was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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House advances resolution to increase sanctions on Nigeria over persecution of Christians

February 7, 2024 Catholic News Agency 0
Thousands of Christians peacefully and prayerfully march to a rally in front of the Nigerian Plateau state governor’s office building in protest of the 2023 Christmas massacre that left over 200 Christian Nigerians dead, Jan. 8, 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, photo by Plateau State Government Media Team

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 7, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has advanced a resolution to increase sanctions and pressure on the Nigerian government over the rampant persecution of Christians and other minorities in the country.

Sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, the resolution would call on the Biden administration to designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern” (CPC), a designation that comes with additional sanctions.

The resolution would also urge the administration to appoint a special U.S. envoy to Nigeria to monitor and report on incidents of persecution.

Smith and other proponents of the bill, including Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF), maintain that adding Nigeria to the State Department’s CPC blacklist would be an effective means to pressure the Nigerian government to address the persecution.

Sean Nelson, a legal counsel for ADF, has previously told CNA that the CPC list is “the most powerful tool the U.S. government has to influence the religious freedom situation in other countries.”

For years now Nigeria has been recognized by religious rights groups as one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian. According to Open Doors International 4,998 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2023, meaning that 82% of all Christians killed for their faith last year were in Nigeria.

In late January, Nigerian Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi told CNA that the persecution amounts to a Christian “genocide” in which radical Islamic groups’ goal is to “systematically” eliminate the Christian population from Nigeria.  

Despite this, the Biden administration has left Nigeria off the CPC list for the last three years. This year the administration’s decision to leave Nigeria off the list came just weeks after a series of attacks on Christmas left more than 200 Nigerian Christians dead.

“Following the Biden administration’s repeated failure to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern despite widespread outcry, we are grateful to the members of Congress who are taking these vital steps to increase pressure on Nigeria for its egregious violations of religious freedom,” Nelson said in a Wednesday press release.

“No person should be persecuted for their faith, and it is imperative that the U.S. government condemn the targeted violence, unjust imprisonments, and egregious blasphemy laws that plague Christians and religious minorities in Nigeria,” he added.

Nelson told CNA that the resolution “lays out an undeniable case that Nigeria has engaged in and tolerated egregious, systematic, and ongoing violations of religious freedom, and some of the worst in the world, particularly for Christians in the north.”

If Congress passes the resolution, Nelson said he hopes the Biden administration would “listen and change course.” 

“More importantly,” he said, he believes the resolution’s passage “would send an immense signal of support for the victims of persecution in Nigeria themselves, who have asked for the international community to raise their voices and would put pressure on the Nigerian government to take the persecution seriously, hold attackers accountable, and free those who have been imprisoned and charged under blasphemy-related allegations.”

“There has already been a great amount of outcry over the lack of the CPC designation for Nigeria by the USCIRF and civil society organizations that focus on international religious freedom,” he said. “Having the voice of Congress echo those concerns would also give the concerns an international amplification that is sorely needed.”

According to Nelson, the Nigerian resolution will now move forward for a vote in the House. However, no date has been set for when the vote will take place. 

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