A surge in kidnappings has hit Nigeria’s Catholic clergy, with two more priests abducted within the past two weeks. Fr Christian Ike – the parish priest of St Matthew’s Church in Ajalli, Anambra State, was taken on June 16 alongside Fr Ogbonnia Aneke after a church service.
The kidnapping was confirmed by the Chancellor of Ekwulobia Diocese, Fr Lawrence Nwankwo. “When they arrived at the junction of Amagu, their vehicle was stopped by armed men who came in three vehicles. While two people managed to escape, the attackers took the priest and another person and also stole some personal belongings of the vehicle’s occupants,” Fr Nwankwo said in a June 16 statement.
The recent kidnapping marks a disturbing trend of violence against religious figures in Africa’s most populous nation. Fr Gabriel Ukeh was kidnapped June 9 from the rectory of St Thomas Parish in Zaman Dabo in Kaduna State.
He was freed 24 hours later. “Fr Uke once spent a month in my parish while on holiday. I had the privilege of listening to stories of the daily risk he and his parishioners face as a result of unrelenting attacks by these terrorists,” said Fr Moses Lorapu, the Director of Communication at the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in Benue State, Nigeria.
“His kidnapping was, therefore, no news to me,” he told Crux. Fr Oliver Buba of Yola Diocese regained his freedom on May 30 after spending nine days in captivity. Earlier, on May 15, the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha announced the abduction of Fr Basil Gbuzuo, who was also later set free. Other Christians are also facing kidnappings.
On February 28, seventeen Christians were dragged from their homes in Gonin Gora, near Kaduna City, and marched into the dense forest in northeastern Niger State. These people are still being held, and the kidnappers are demanding a €27 million ransom, according to Rev. David Ayuba Azzaman, pastor of the Kings Worship Centre Kaduna who spoke to the terrorists by phone.
The persistent kidnappings, and the government’s apparent inaction, have sparked outrage among Christian leaders, leading to accusations of a “conspiracy of silence” among Nigeria’s elected officials.