The murder of seminarian Andrew Peter follows the recent killing of Fr Sylvester Okechukwu. Nigeria has had three times more kidnappings of clergy and religious in the first three months of 2025 than in the same period of 2024.
The Nigerian Church is reeling from the news of the murder of a young seminarian, Andrew Peter, at the hands of kidnappers, according to a statement sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) by the Diocese of Auchi
The killing of Andrew Peter follows on the heels of the brutal murder of Fr Sylvester Okechukwu, in the Diocese of Kafanchan, during an alarming increase of kidnappings and attacks on Catholic clergy in the country, compared to the same period of 2024.
Three priests were kidnapped in the first three months of the year in 2024, all of whom were released within a few days. But with two weeks still to go before the end of March this year, the toll in Nigeria is already of 10 kidnappings, including two murders.
Major seminarian Andrew Peter was kidnapped along with Fr Philip Ekweli on 3 March. Although Fr Philip was released ten days later, on 13 March, it emerged that the seminarian had been murdered by his kidnappers.
“Life has been hell for our people in recent times. People are not safe on the roads, in their farms or even in their homes,” said Bishop Gabriel Dunia of Auchi, in a statement sent to ACN in which the diocese laments and deplores the murder of Andrew Peter.
Nigeria suffers from acute insecurity in many regions. The kidnappings of priests are driven by various factors, including ransom demands by criminal gangs seeking financial gain, religious and ethnic conflicts involving extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, and the threat of Muslim herders from the Fulani ethnic group to mostly Christian farmers. Some abductions serve as political tools to destabilize the government and expose its failure to ensure security, while others stem from local disputes and land conflicts.
According to statistics compiled by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, 145 priests and seminarians have been kidnapped in the country over the past 10 years, with 11 killed. These numbers were published after Fr Philip Ekweli was kidnapped, but before his release, and also before the murders of Fr Sylvester Okechukwu and seminarian Andrew Peter.
The Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need, continues to accompany the suffering of the Nigerian Church and calls for prayers and action to ensure the safety of all Nigerian clergy and civilians who suffer from this insecurity and violence. ACN further calls on its friends and benefactors to pray for the souls of Fr Sylvester Okechukwu and seminarian Andrew Peter, and for all those in Nigeria who risk their lives to minister to the people of God.
By Filipe d’Avillez.
