Catholic priest kidnapped in Nigeria on his way to his father's funeral

A priest of the Congregation of the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy was kidnapped in Nigeria on Tuesday on his way to his father's funeral.

Fr Valentine Ezeagu was driving in the southeastern Imo state of Nigeria on December 15, when four gunmen came out of the bush and forced him into the back of his car and drove away at full speed, a statement from the religious congregation of the priest, citing an eyewitness from the street.

The priest was on his way to his native village in the state of Anambra, where his father's funeral mass will be held on December 17.

His religious congregation asks for "fervent prayers for his immediate release".

P. Ezeagu's kidnapping comes after last week's kidnapping of hundreds of schoolchildren in the northwestern state of Katsina, Nigeria. On 15 December, the Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack on the school which is missing 300 students.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja denounced the high rate of kidnappings and deaths in Nigeria, asking the government to take more security measures.

"The murders and kidnappings currently underway in Nigeria now pose a significant threat to all citizens," he said in a Facebook post on 15 December.

“Right now, insecurity is the biggest challenge facing the nation. The level of incidents and the apparent impunity have become unacceptable and cannot be justified, for any reason, ”he said.

The archbishop stressed that the primary responsibility of the Nigerian government enshrined in its constitution was the "protection of the life and property of its citizens regardless of ethnic and / or religious belief".

In 2020, at least eight priests and seminarians were kidnapped in Nigeria, including 18-year-old seminarian Michael Nnadi, who was killed after gunmen kidnapped him and three other seminarians in an attack on the Good Shepherd Seminary in Kaduna.

Kaigama noted that "victims of ideologically motivated kidnappings face a greater threat of death and may experience longer times in captivity."

“The violence, kidnappings and banditry of Boko Haram represent grave violations of human rights. It is important to pay attention to all phases, processes and trends of events because they are interrelated. The structural injustices inflicted on young people and minority groups are appalling and, if left unchecked, can lead us to a point of no return, "he said.