Late Priest’s wife and a relative remain in captivity with no contact from the abductors
By M. Kiara
(Lagos) – Venerable Edwin Achi, Priest-in-Charge of Ebenezer Anglican Church in Kaduna State, has been murdered by his abductors after 30 days in captivity, his family confirmed. His wife, Sarah, and another relative remain missing with no word from the kidnappers since his death.
The October 28 abduction occurred around 2 a.m., when gunmen believed to be Fulani militants stormed the priest’s newly built home in Nissi community, Chikun County, and dragged the family members into the forest. The militants initially demanded a ransom of $416,000, later reduced to $138,700.
“This is a painful loss to the entire Church family and all blessed by his faithful ministry,” the Kaduna Anglican Diocese said.
But relatives say Achi’s killing exposes more than a tragedy; it reveals a national pattern of targeted violence against Christian clergy, and what they describe as a coordinated media blackout during the kidnapping.
‘We begged every day, but the media stayed silent‘
Achi’s relative, known on X as Monsieur Avreel, became the family’s public voice during the kidnapping ordeal. The abductors used the priest’s phone to upload proof-of-life photos directly to his Facebook page, prompting him to make repeated public appeals.
“My Uncle; an Anglican Vicar of Kaduna Diocese and his wife; a customs Officer have been in captivity for almost a month now. Please beg President Tinubu to call them,” Avreel wrote in one post. “What kind of Godforsaken excuse of a country is this?”
But after Achi was killed, the nephew accused major Nigerian news outlets of deliberately avoiding coverage, then publishing identical government-friendly headlines only after the priest was dead.
“We raised our voices every day, yet the mainstream media refused to touch the story,” he wrote. “The moment he was killed, suddenly every outlet carried the same instructed headline “Died in custody,” he didn’t die, he was killed. The Broadcasting commission definitely gave you all that headline.”
He referenced the Nigerian Guild of Editors’ controversial $11,785 payment to gain access to President Bola Tinubu, as well as the invitation to “dinner” sent to senators by Nigeria’s first lady Remi Tinubu.
“Remi’s jollof is still hanging in their teeth,” he said.
A Growing Pattern: Christian Clergy Targeted
Achi’s death aligns with a documented trend of attacks against pastors and priests across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
TruthNigeria confirms at least three other clergy killed this year after abduction in March, June and November:
Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein of Wukari Diocese told TruthNigeria the pattern amounts to a “hidden genocide” targeting Christian leaders to weaken community resistance.
Internal diocesan records he shared reveal:
· 335 Catholic churches burned or destroyed
· 300,000 Catholics displaced since 2015
· 70 Christians killed in recent weeks alone
· A national media “largely silent on the crisis”
Broader regional data underscores the scale of the insecurity.
The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) reports:
- 16,769 Christians killed (2019–2023)
- 11,185 Christians abducted in the same period
No other religious community faces similar numbers.
Nigeria’s Kidnapping Catastrophe: The National Picture
Kidnapping is now a nationwide industry.
A 2024–2025 review by security consulting firm SBM Intelligence, between July 2024 and June 2025 recorded at least:
- 4,722 Nigerians kidnapped
- About $1.66 million in ransom payments
Between November 17–25 2025 alone, Nigeria saw:
- 402 abductions, including mass school kidnappings.
Security analysts say militant cells are now using forest corridors linking Kaduna to the Sahel, making rescue operations difficult.
A retired intelligence officer, speaking anonymously, told TruthNigeria that the militants’ ability to post photos from Achi’s phone without being traced shows Nigeria’s serious intelligence gap.
“These are Fulani militant cells with cross-border support,” he said. “They rotate SIM cards, use satellite uplinks, and exploit weak rural cellular networks. Nigeria’s failure to track basic digital footprints raises deeper concerns about corruption and internal collaboration.”
Government Response: Emergency Measures, Rising Panic
In response to the rising attacks, President Bola Tinubu has declared a “national security emergency,” and approved the recruitment of 50,000 police officers, deployment of new forest rangers units and renewed calls for state police.
The Nigerian Senate has gone further, passing a motion classifying kidnapping as terrorism punishable by death, with no judicial discretion.
“Once the offence of kidnapping is established, a death penalty must follow,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said.
But analysts argue the measures are largely symbolic unless the government dismantles the networks financing and directing militant activities, an issue Christian leaders have raised repeatedly for more than a decade.
A Family’s Grief, a Nation’s Fear
Thirty days after his abduction, Venerable Achi is dead. His wife and relative remain somewhere in the forests of Kaduna, with no contact from the abductors.
Church leaders across Nigeria are again warning that clergy are being targeted in a coordinated campaign to terrorize Christian communities.
Security analyst Philip Esan told TruthNigeria that the reaction from political elites shows how deeply the crisis is spreading.
“Powerful people thought terror was someone else’s problem,” he said. “Now a Clergyman is dead, and they are afraid it will be their own family next.”
Avreel has now asked Nigerians simply to pray.
“Please say a prayer for Mrs. Sarah Achi and the relative who are still in captivity,” he wrote. “No contact has been made from the abductors since her husband was killed. Today makes it 32 days in captivity.”
