Two Catholic priests were abducted in central Nigeria last week, and the local diocese reported on July 19 that one of the priests had escaped and the other had been “brutally” killed.
Fathers John Mark Cheitnum and Denatus Cleopas were kidnapped on July 15 at around 5:45 p.m. in the rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church in Lere, Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State.
Cheitnum was “brutally killed” by his kidnappers on the day of his captivity, according to a letter from the diocese of Kafanchan. His funeral is scheduled for July 21 at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Kafanchan.
Father Emmanuel Uchechukwu Okolo, the chancellor of the Kafanchan diocese, told CNA last week that the diocese is requesting prayers for the fast and safe release of the priests who have been kidnapped. In his letter dated July 19, he claimed that Cheitnum’s body had been discovered on that day.
The diocese made no mention of the suspected kidnappers or any demands for money for the two priests. Cheitnum held the positions of coordinator for CAN in Southern Kaduna as well as chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the Jema’a Local Government Area.
According to information gathered by Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charitable group, at least seven Catholic priests were abducted in Nigeria in the month of July.
The number of kidnappings of Christians in Nigeria has increased recently, which has led to Church leaders expressing grave concern for the security of their people and urging the government to give citizens’ safety top priority. The UK-based human rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called Kaduna state in particular “an epicentre of kidnapping and violence by non-state actors” in Nigeria. Six attacks on churches were reported in Kaduna State in 2021, according to a report from the US Commission for International Religious Freedom published in 2022.
In recent years, conflicts between mostly Christian farmers and mostly Muslim Fulani herders over scarce natural resources have increased in Kaduna and other states, while the extreme Islamist group Boko Haram continues to pose a danger to security in northern Nigeria.
#Nigeria The Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria has just announced that Father Donatus Cleophas has managed to escape from his attackers. Unfortunately, Fr. John Mark Cheitnum was killed the same day he was abducted (July 15). Please pray for him and for #christians in Nigeria! pic.twitter.com/MSX9DJfa0k
— Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada (@acn_canada1) July 19, 2022