Nigeria: Catholic priest abducted and killed in a region known for jihadist activity

Image: Jihad Watch

ABUJA, Nigeria (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A Catholic priest was kidnapped on the night of Tuesday, March 4, in Kaduna state, Nigeria, a region where Fulani herdsmen and other Islamic extremist groups have been active. His body was discovered the following day, sources confirmed.

Rev. Sylvester Okechukwu, the priest of St. Mary Catholic Church in Tachira, Kaura County, was taken from his home by unknown assailants shortly after 9 p.m. and later killed, according to the Kafanchan Diocese. He was 45 years old.

"Kidnappers took him from the rectory on March 4th, around 9 p.m., and his lifeless body was found early this morning, Ash Wednesday," local priest Williams Abba told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. "What a tragic way and day to die! He had prepared his ashes and was going to mark parishioners' foreheads, reminding them that they are dust and to dust they will return. Instead, his life was cut short, and he has become dust before us."

The brutal nature of his death was likened to the suffering of Christ, Abba added.

Nigeria continues to be one of the most dangerous places for Christians, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, which highlights the countries where it is hardest to practice Christianity. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, according to the list.

“The extent of anti-Christian violence in the country has reached the maximum possible under our World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.

In Nigeria's North-Central region, where Christians are more prevalent than in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia regularly attack farming communities, killing hundreds, with Christians being the primary targets, the report revealed. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) are also active in the northern states, where the federal government’s control is weak. As a result, Christians and their communities are often subjected to raids, sexual violence, and killings, including those at roadblocks. Abductions for ransom have notably increased in recent years.

The violence has now spread to southern states, with a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, emerging in the northwest. Armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, Lakurawa is affiliated with the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) from Mali, the report noted.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)