An Anglican pastor, kidnapped on October 28 with his wife and daughter, was murdered by extremists, Anglican Archbishop Henry Ndakuba reported last Friday. The family was taken to Kaduna state, Nigeria.
“With profound sadness, we announce the tragic death of our beloved priest… who was brutally murdered after suffering a month-long kidnapping,” the statement said.
According to Reuters, armed men initially demanded a ransom of 600 million naira ($416,000) for Achi’s release, an amount that was later reduced to 200 million naira, the church said. The religious leader’s wife and daughter remain in captivity.
Kidnappings of Christians have increased in recent months in Nigeria. In November alone, criminals kidnapped 25 students in Kebbi State and more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in Niger State, leading to the closure of schools in several states.
The death of the Anglican pastor comes amid a mobilization by the United States to end violence against Christians in the African country. President Donald Trump even suggested military intervention to combat this type of terrorist action.
As a result, the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declared a “national security emergency” last Wednesday due to the wave of kidnappings, deploying 20,000 agents to carry out operations across the country.
The president also ordered the immediate deployment of all forest guards already trained to eliminate terrorists and bandits, so that there are “no more hiding places for agents of evil.”