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02-12-2025
ABUJA: An Anglican priest kidnapped in northwest Nigeria last month has been killed in captivity, the head of the Church of Nigeria said, as the country reels from a surge in abductions and killings that has drawn condemnation from Washington.
Archbishop Henry Ndakuba said Venerable Edwin Achi, seized with his wife and daughter from their home in Kaduna state on October 28, was murdered after spending about a month in captivity.
“With profound sorrow, we announce the tragic death of our beloved priest… who was brutally murdered after enduring a month-long abduction,” Ndakuba said in a statement late on Friday.
Gunmen initially demanded a ransom of 600 million naira ($416,000) for Achi’s release, later reducing it to 200 million naira, the church said. His wife and daughter remain in captivity.
The police in Kaduna did not respond to requests for comment.
The killing comes amid a wave of kidnappings in northern Nigeria. Armed gangs abducted 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi state on November 17 and, days later, more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in Niger state, prompting school closures across several states.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the recruitment of 50,000 police officers and cancelled foreign trips to tackle what he called a “national emergency.”
The attacks have also sparked international concern. US President Donald Trump this month called the situation in Nigeria “a disgrace” and warned that Washington could halt aid or even take military action if authorities fail to curb violence against Christians.
Ndakuba urged the government and security agencies to “identify and expose the treacherous sponsors, financiers and enablers of this wave of terror” and appealed for the immediate release of Achi’s wife and daughter.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible “fast” military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.
The US government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
If the United States sends in military forces, it would go in “‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote, without providing any evidence of specifics about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria.
Trump called Nigeria a “disgraced country” and warned its government must move quickly. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” he wrote.
Abuja had no immediate reaction to Trump’s threat of military action. The White House also had no immediate comment on the potential timing of any US military action. Although the US Department of Defense referred media to the White House for comment on Trump’s threat, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a social media post of his own.
“The Department of War is preparing for action,” Hegseth wrote on social media. “Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Trump’s post on Nigeria came a day after his administration added Nigeria back to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that the US says have violated religious freedom. Other nations on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan. (Int’l News Desk)
