08/04/2019 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Father Paul Offu, the parish priest at St. James Greater Parish in Ugbawka, Enugu State, was killed Thursday afternoon. He was driving from a friend’s home and returning to his church, when unknown gunmen stopped him in his vehicle. They apparently pulled him from his vehicle and killed him on the side of the road. The Catholic Diocese of Enugu has claimed that the gunmen were Fulani Militants, but have no real evidence for this at this time.
The kidnapping and killing of clergy in Nigeria has become a common occurrence. Often, gangs, Fulani militants, and other groups kidnap clergy in an attempt to get a ransom from the church. When they aren’t able to get the ransom they want, these groups have bene known to kill the pastor and leave their body in the woods or brush along roads. All of this comes from a complete lack of security and rule of law in Nigeria. The Nigerian government must do a better job at stopping these attacks from happening, catching those who do them, and prosecuting those they catch.
