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Prayer Appeal Sent for Missionary Priest, Seminarian Abducted from Nigerian Diocese

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By Jude Atemanke

Minna, 03 August, 2023 / 9:47 pm (ACI Africa).

The Catholic Diocese of Minna in Nigeria has sent out a prayer appeal for the safe release of a Priest and seminarian reportedly abducted from the Diocese on Thursday, August 3.

Fr. Paul Sanogo, a member of the Missionaries of Africa (M.Afr) and Seminarian Melchior are pastoral workers serving at St Luke's Catholic Church Gyedna, Niger State

In an August 3 statement shared with ACI Africa, the Local Ordinary of the Nigerian Episcopal See provides details about the abductions, saying, “I request for your prayers for Fr. Paul Sanogo (M.Afr) and Seminarian Melchior who were kidnapped by bandits in the early hours of August 3, 2023 at the Priest residence at Gyedna, Niger State.” 

“We pray the Lord hears our prayers and brings them back in peace,” the Nigerian Catholic Bishop says in the statement.

Nigeria has been experiencing insecurity since 2009 when Boko Haram insurgency began with the aim of turning the country into an Islamic state.

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Since then, the group, one of largest Islamist groups in Africa, has been orchestrating indiscriminate terrorist attacks on various targets, including religious and political groups as well as civilians.

The insecurity situation in the country has further been complicated by the involvement of the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia.

The abductions of Fr. Sanogo and Seminarian Melchior are the latest of a series of kidnappings of members of the Clergy in Africa’s most populous nation.

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.

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