Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

The lives of clergy are known to be difficult, but in Nigeria they are often dangerous, too.

Last week, gunmen shot at a car carrying Roman Catholic Cardinal John Onaiyekan in the country’s southern Edo state. The cardinal was returning home after attending the 10th anniversary celebrations for the Uromi Diocese. He was unharmed.

“The government needs to do more to make our public roads safe,” Onaiyekan wrote in an email on May 3.

The attack on the cardinal comes amid increasing violence and kidnappings of clergy for ransom in the West African country.

In March, gunmen kidnapped and later released the Rev. Emmanuel Dziggau, president of the United Churches of Christ in Nigeria. In December, Anglican Bishop Gabriel Adebanjo of central Abuja was kidnapped, along with his wife. In September 2015, Anglican Bishop Moses Tabuwaye of Gwagwalada was kidnapped and released.

And only last month, The Punch newspaper reported that the decomposing body of a cleric kidnapped in northern Nigeria in March had been found.

Onaiyekan said he believed the attackers were not targeting him personally, since they shot at other cars on the road, where many attacks were known to occur.

Catholic Bishop Donatus Ogun of the Uromi Diocese had earlier issued a similar statement, saying the people of Edo state were living in fear of the criminals and their lives and property needed to be protected.

(Fredrick Nzwili is an RNS correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya)

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

“If (President Donald) Trump’s wishes come true, it could happen in the future that pastoral care in Greenland would be offered from some American diocese, which would mean I would lose my dream job here,” Father Tomaž Majcen said.
Chinese rescue workers stand at the site of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 31, 2025, in the aftermath of a strong earthquake that struck three days earlier. People in Myanmar are in desperate need of humanitarian supplies and medical support as the death toll from the devastating earthquake that rocked central Myanmar continues to rise. (OSV News/Reuters)
“Hospitals are overwhelmed, and people are sleeping out on the streets, anywhere they can, in fields and playgrounds and religious compounds.”
Kevin ClarkeApril 02, 2025
As we enter into Holy Week, join America Media for a subscriber-only virtual event with James Martin, S.J., and ‘Jesuitical’ hosts Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless.
America StaffApril 01, 2025
“Having a sensory room in a place of worship is probably more important than anywhere else because everyone should feel welcome in their faith.”
Sean QuinnApril 01, 2025