International Anglican Leaders Citing Lack of Accountability, Unacknowledged Ransom
By Mary Kiara
(Kaduna) – When Sarah Achi and her daughter were released after nearly three months in captivity, Nigerian officials described the outcome as a successful security operation. But international Anglican advocates say the case reveals something far more troubling: a system in which Christian clergy are abducted, ransoms are paid, lives are lost and accountability never follows.
Venerable Edwin Achi, an Anglican priest in Kaduna State, was kidnapped from his home in October 2025 alongside his wife and child. Despite ransom negotiations, he was later killed. His wife and daughter were held for weeks afterward before their release in mid-January.
For Patricia Streeter, co-founder of the Anglican Persecuted Church Network in California, the sequence is not an anomaly.
“When a priest is killed even after ransom is paid, and his family is held captive for weeks, this makes it very clear even to the most naïve viewer that these Islamic kidnappers have no basic ethics at all,” Streeter told TruthNigeria. “It is outrageous and heart-wrenching to see Christians treated so brutally.”
Streeter said the pattern mirrors cases she has documented globally, but most acutely in Nigeria.
“This is not isolated criminal violence,” she said. “If it were, there would be equal amounts of violence against Muslims. But what we see repeatedly is Christian farms, clergy, and worshippers targeted. It’s systematic, faith-targeted persecution.”
Official Sympathy, No Answers
Uba Sani, Kaduna State Governor announced on Facebook he visited Mrs. Achi at a military hospital after her release, pledging housing; education support for her children, and medical care. He praised security agencies for what he called a successful operation.
But neither state nor federal authorities have explained how the women were freed, whether further ransom was paid, or why no arrests have followed the murder of a priest.
A family representative later pushed back against public speculation about Mrs. Achi’s health.
“They are under medical care, and their records are private,” the relative said. “Our pain is not a lecture moment.
The relative also rejected media claims framing the release as a rescue.
“Looks like ‘rescue’ is what the media now call ‘ransom paid,’” the statement read.
A Broader Pattern of Clergy Targeting
Achi’s case comes amid a surge in abductions of Christian clergy.
Since late 2025, multiple Catholic and Protestant leaders have been kidnapped, several remain in captivity, and at least one was executed after ransom negotiations.
According to Open Doors International, Nigeria accounted for 3,490 of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide in 2025. The organization lists Nigeria among the most dangerous countries for Christians.
Cristian Nani, director of Open Doors pointed to sub-Saharan Africa as the “special observation” area of the Watch List 2026, due to the presence of “fragile governments” that leave Christians exposed to violence.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, in research shared with Aid to the Church in Need, reports that more than 200 Catholic priests have been kidnapped since 2015.
International Alarm Grows
The United Nations and U.S. officials have raised concerns over the scale of abductions.
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said recent mass kidnappings in Nigeria were “shocking” and urged authorities to hold perpetrators accountable.
Speaking at a U.S.–Nigeria working group in Abuja, Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker said recent attacks underscored the urgency of protecting Christian communities.
“We should discuss how to deter violence against Christian communities, investigate attacks, and reduce killings, forced displacement, and abductions,” Hooker said.
Zero Accountability
For Streeter, the true crisis begins after release.
“Nigerian authorities remain silent and provide no accountability after such cases, they send a clear message that the perpetrators may safely continue and even heighten their attacks, especially after the Nigerian military deliberately takes no action of protection.”
She said silence from authorities sends a clear signal.
“This tells vulnerable Christian communities that they have no protection at all from the government. This has been the pattern of their heinous behavior for decades, and this government-supported genocide of Christians must stop now!” she said.
As Mrs. Achi begins recovery, the questions surrounding her husband’s death remain unanswered: why was he killed after ransom was raised, and why has no one been charged?
Mary Kiara reports on terrorism for TruthNigeria.
