Four kidnapped seminarians are finally named

  • Written by:

By Fionn Shiner and Maria Lozano FOUR seminarians kidnapped in Nigeria by armed intruders have been named by a leading Catholic charity which supports persecuted Christians.

                  Aid to the Church in Need can at last reveal that the four men are Pius Kanwai, 19, Peter Umenukor, 23, Stephen Amos, 23, and 18-year-old Michael Nnadi.

                      They were taken on Wednesday (8th January) evening from the Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Kaduna city, northern Nigeria.

                      Armed assailants broke through the fence surrounding the living quarters of the seminary, forced themselves into the student hostel, and stole some of the students’ valuables before abducting the seminarians.

                      The four men came from different dioceses across northern Nigeria and had only just started studying for the priesthood.

                      The kidnappers’ identity and motive remain unknown.  

                      Police said their quick response prevented the attackers from taking more students. 

                      Abductions have risen sharply in Kaduna.

The Rev John Joseph Hayab, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said abductions in the state had become “a big business” but others are taken for religious reasons.

                      On Boxing Day 2019, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of Daesh (ISIS), released a video purporting to show 10 Christians being beheaded on Christmas Day.

                      Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto responded by criticising the Nigerian authorities for not doing enough to prevent the violence.

                      He told ACN: “The only difference between the government and Boko Haram is Boko Haram is holding a bomb.”

On 25th March 2019, Father John Bako Shekwolo, a priest of Kaduna archdiocese, was kidnapped. His whereabouts are still unknown.

                      Nearly two weeks earlier, Father Clement Ugwu of St Mark’s Catholic Church in Enugu state was abducted from his parish home and a few days later his decomposing corpse was found 12 miles from his home.

Leah Sharibu, abducted on 19th February 2018, is still in the custody of Boko Haram.

She was taken with 109 other girls but she alone was held back after she refused to convert to Islam.

 

Editor’s Notes

 

 

www.acnuk.org

 

Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation directly under the Holy See. As a Catholic charity, ACN supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in need through information, prayer, and action.

 

Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope St John Paul II named “An outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in 140 countries throughout the world.

 

Undertaking thousands of projects every year, the charity provides emergency support for people experiencing persecution, transport for clergy and lay Church workers, Child’s Bibles, media and evangelisation projects, churches, Mass stipends and other support for priests and nuns and training for seminarians.

 

Aid to the Church in Need UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1097984) and Scotland (SC040748). ACN’s UK office is in Sutton, Surrey and there is a Scottish office in Motherwell, near Glasgow and another office based in Lancaster that covers the North-West.

 

Please always acknowledge Aid to the Church in Need as the source when using our material.

 

For more information, contact Head of Press & Information John Pontifex on 020 8661 5161 or ACN Parliamentary and Press Officer Fionn Shiner on 020 8661 5175.

Aid to the Church in Need sends out its press releases to members of media organisations, and individuals who have specifically requested to be on our list. If you no longer wish to receive our press releases please email fionn.shiner@acnuk.org with the word “Remove” in the subject box. ACN’s Privacy Policy can be found at www.acnuk.org/privacy.