Assailants in an area of Nigeria where Fulani terrorists have operated freely burned a Catholic seminary student to death Sept. 7 in a failed kidnapping attempt, Morning Star News reported.
In an attack on the rectory of St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Fadan Kamantan, in southern Kaduna state, the assailants unable to enter the home of the parish priest they sought to kidnap instead reportedly set it on fire.
The priest, the Rev. Emmanuel Okolo, and his assistant managed to escape, but the fire killed seminary student Na’aman Danlami, 25, Morning Star reported.
‘Evil against Christians’
The Rev. John Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, lamented lack of security in the area.
“It is sad that killings and this type of evil against Christians are still going on in spite of our appeal and pleading to Nigerian government to take measures towards ending these attacks,” Hayab said.
Four Catholic priests were killed in Nigeria in 2022 and 28 were kidnapped, while so far this year 14 Catholic clergymen have been abducted, according to Aid to the Church in Need.
In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
