NIGERIAN PRIEST KILLED AFTER ONE MONTH IN CAPTIVITY
Venerable Edwin Achi Murdered After Gunmen Demanded $415,000 Ransom, Wife And Daughter Still Held Hostage
An Anglican priest kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria has died after spending one month in captivity, prompting the Church of Nigeria to confirm his death as the country reels from a wave of abductions that has drawn international condemnation.
Archbishop Henry Ndakuba announced that Venerable Edwin Achi was brutally killed after being held captive for a month. He had been taken along with his wife Sarah, daughter, and son from their Kaduna home on October 28, 2025.
In a late Friday statement, Ndakuba stated, "With deep sorrow, we announce that our beloved priest was brutally killed after suffering a month long abduction."
The church reported that gunmen initially demanded a ransom payment of 600 million Naira ($416,000) to release Achi, but later reduced it to 200 million Naira. A photo showing Achi and his wife seated among other hostages was released shortly before his death. His wife Sarah and daughter remain in captivity. Police in Kaduna have not responded to requests for comment.
Achi's killing occurred amid a massive wave of kidnappings across northern Nigeria that prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a national security emergency and order the recruitment of additional security forces while canceling foreign trips to deal with what he termed a "national crisis."
On November 21, 2025, gunmen raided St Mary's Catholic Secondary School in Niger state, kidnapping 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigerian history. The Christian Association of Nigeria reported that 50 pupils escaped between November 21 and 22.
Also on November 21, gunmen attacked a church service in Eruku, Kwara State, killing two worshipers and kidnapping 38. Officials confirmed on November 23 that the hostages had been freed, though conditions of their release were not elaborated.
On November 27, armed men raided two homes in Gidan Bijimi, a community in the capital's Bwari Area Council, and kidnapped six girls and a 16 year old boy. In a separate incident that day, approximately 20 farmers including four pregnant women and several children were abducted in Unguwan Kawo, Niger State.
The latest Intersociety report revealed that an average of 32 Christians are killed in Nigeria every day. The report published in August indicates that as many as 7,000 Christians were massacred across Nigeria in the first 220 days of 2025.
At least 185,000 people including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 moderate Muslims have been killed in Nigeria since 2009 when terrorist group Boko Haram began its murderous campaign intended to set up a caliphate across the Sahel.
According to a Fides Agency report published in March 2025, a total of 145 Catholic priests were kidnapped in Nigeria between 2015 and 2025, with 11 killed and four still missing. In 2024 alone, 13 priests were kidnapped, all of whom were eventually released.
Kaduna emerged as the deadliest state with 24 priests abducted and seven killed between 2015 and 2025. This high death toll suggests the presence of terrorist activity, insurgent violence, and increased religious tensions making it a more dangerous region for clergy.
Security analysts and rights groups attribute the rise in kidnappings to a mix of extremist groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, armed Fulani militias, and criminal gangs. A new group known as Lakurawa has also emerged in the northwest, linked to al Qaeda's Sahel based affiliate JNIM and armed with advanced weaponry.
Of the 4,476 Christians reported killed for their faith worldwide during the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List reporting period, 3,100 were in Nigeria, representing 69 percent of global Christian martyrdom.
President Trump called Nigeria's situation "a disgrace" and warned that Washington would halt its aid and even take military action against Nigerian authorities if they fail to stop violence against Christians.
Tinubu's declaration followed a heated Senate debate on the growing insecurity in which lawmakers described kidnapping as a form of terrorism and recommended capital punishment for perpetrators. Legislators raised concerns over inadequate equipment, insufficient intelligence support, and troubling infiltration of the armed forces.
Former Deputy Speaker Idris Wase told the Senate that North Central Nigeria bore over half of the country's violence and warned that names of known Boko Haram militants and criminals had been found on lists of army and police recruits.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
One hundred forty five Catholic priests kidnapped between 2015 and 2025.
Eleven murdered.
Kaduna state alone saw seven priests killed.
Names of known Boko Haram militants found on army and police recruit lists.
The Nigerian government is not failing to stop this.
The Nigerian government is complicit in it.
President Tinubu declares a "national emergency" after years of massacres.
Too late.
The emergency should have been declared when the first thousand Christians were killed.
Venerable Edwin Achi spent a month in captivity before being murdered.
His family could not raise $416,000 to save his life.
But Nigeria receives billions in foreign aid.
That is obscene.
TAKE ACTION
- Pray for Sarah Achi and her daughter still held in captivity after Venerable Edwin Achi was murdered following one month as a hostage. Pray for their safe release, for provision to pay ransom if necessary, and for protection from their captors.
- Contact your government representatives demanding immediate suspension of all foreign aid to Nigeria until the government stops Christian persecution and prosecutes kidnappers. Support President Trump's threat to halt aid and take military action if violence against Christians continues.
- Support Nigerian Christian relief organizations providing emergency assistance to kidnapping victims, displaced families, and persecuted churches through Open Doors, Barnabas Fund, and International Christian Concern.
- Open Doors: www.opendoors.org
- Barnabas Fund: www.barnabasfund.org
- International Christian Concern: www.persecution.org
- Raise awareness that 32 Christians are killed daily in Nigeria, 7,000 were murdered in the first 220 days of 2025, and 69 percent of global Christian martyrdom occurs in Nigeria. Share Venerable Achi's story and educate churches about the ongoing genocide.
- Demand international intervention through the United Nations, African Union, and international criminal courts to investigate genocide against Nigerian Christians. Support establishment of safe zones, humanitarian corridors, and military protection for Christian communities.
- Support the families of kidnapped clergy including the 145 Catholic priests kidnapped between 2015 and 2025, with 11 murdered and four still missing. Fund ransom payments, legal assistance, trauma counseling, and relocation support for families fleeing persecution.
- Catholic Relief Services: www.crs.org
