The Catholic Dioceses of Auchi and Kaduna mourn the deaths of Father Christopher Odia and Father Vitus Borogo, killed in the Nigerian states of Edo and Kaduna over the weekend.
Hong Shui - Vatican News
In a statement issued by the archdiocese, the chancellor of the Kaduna archdiocese said: "Father Vitus Borogo, 50, a priest serving in the Archdiocese of Kaduna, is a Catholic chaplain at the Kaduna State Polytechnic University. , was killed June 25, 2022 "at Prison Farm, Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia Road, following a terrorist raid on the farm."
Meanwhile, in Edo State, Father Christopher Odia was kidnapped at the parish house of St. Michael's parish, Ikabigbo, Uzairue, at about 6:30 am on June 26, 2022. The Diocese of Auchi announced that he was killed by kidnappers.
Father Odia is 41 years old, is the parish administrator of St. Michael's parish and the principal of St. Philip's Catholic High School in Jattu.
The Sun, a Nigerian daily, reported that a Mass attendant and a local policeman had tracked down the kidnappers and had been shot dead during Father Odia's abduction.
Another kidnapping case
In another case, two priests, Father Stephen Ojapa and Father Oliver Okpara, abducted by robbers in Kaduna state, Nigeria, have been released. The fathers were kidnapped at dawn on June 25, 2022, when unidentified gunmen stormed the church of Saint Patrick, Gidan Maikambo, in Katsina state. Two other people abducted along with the priests have also been released.
Nigerian Christians Persecuted For Their Faith
More Nigerian Christians are murdered for their faith than in any other country worldwide: at least 4,650 in 2021, and nearly 900 in the first three months of 2022 alone.
According to UK-based human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide , the state of Kaduna has become "the epicenter of abductions and violence by NGOs, despite being a heavily armed state." best in Nigeria."
Earlier this month, gunmen attacked a Catholic church and an evangelical Baptist church in Kaduna state, killing 3 people and kidnapping more than 30 worshipers, and more than 40 Christians were killed in an attack. attacked a Catholic church in Ondo state on June 5.