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By Myke Agunwa
Even as the Catholic Church mourns the passage of the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis, gunmen in the early hours of Thursday abducted Rev. Fr. Ibrahim Amos in Kaduna, North West Nigeria.
The abduction of the priest occurred around 12:15am in Kurmin Risga, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The priest was whisked from his residence at St. Gerald Quasi Parish, Kurmin Risga.
The Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Rev. Fr. Jacob Shanet, confirmed the abduction on Thursday in a press statement.
He described the development as a deeply saddening one.
He called for prayers for the safe return of the cleric.
“We solicit your prayers for his quick and safe release.
“We invite the general public to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands,” Shanet said stressing that every legitimate and available means would be deployed to ensure that the cleric returns unharmed and in good health.
Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls as of the time of filing this report.
According to a report published by Fides Agency a total of 145 priests were kidnapped and 11 killed in Nigeria between 2015 and 2025, with a huge sum of money paid in ransom to the abductors.
The last incident occurred on March 5, when Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu, a priest of the Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, was murdered a day after he was kidnapped.
Two days earlier in the Diocese of Auchi, Edo State, a Seminarian, Andrew Peter, kidnapped along with another priest, Fr. Philip Ekweli was murdered while the priest was eventually released on March 13 after ten days in captivity.