133 Priests kidnapped, 13 killed in last 10 years — Catholic Church

• figure far more — CSN official

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

A report from the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has indicated that a total of 143 Catholic Priests were kidnapped by gunmen in the last 10 years (2015-2025) out of which 13 were killed.

The report which was posted on a Nigerian Catholic Facebook page indicated that Okigwe Catholic diocese recored the highest number of abductions with 47 Catholic Priest kidnapped in the last 10 years even though no death was recorded.

Port Harcourt Diocese followed with 14 abductions, while Ekwulobia and Kafanchan Dioceses had seven abductions each. Auchi and Warri Dioceses recorded six abductions each, while Kaduna, Issele-Uku and Otukpo recored five abductions each. Pankshin, Benin, Idah Dioceses also recorded four abductions each, while some Dioceses had one, two, or three abductions.

Regarding the deaths of the Catholic Priests, Kaduna Diocese was top on the list with four deaths. Sokoto, Kafanchan, and Minna Dioceses recorded two deaths each, while Warri, Auchi and Otukpo dioceses recorded a death each.

Meanwhile, there’s a disagreement among the people that the number of kidnapping and death of Catholic Priests reported in the statistics in the last 10 years was far higher than what was recorded.

An official of the CSN who pleaded anonymity said the data was incomplete because it didn’t capture some states where the onslaught against Catholic Priests were unreported. “For instance, a lot has happened to Catholic Priests in Kano, Anambra and some other states, which was not captured in the statistics.

“I hope that soon, the accurate and complete statistics will he made available for the public to see. Undoubtedly, Catholic Priests have faced immense humiliation across the country in the recent years,” the official said.