ENUGU, Nigeria (Chatnewstv.com) — The Catholic Church in Nigeria is reeling after the killing of Father Mathew Eya, gunned down Sept. 19 as he returned to his parish in Enugu state, in a wave of violence that has increasingly targeted clergy.
The priest was intercepted by gunmen on a motorcycle near a hospital construction site in Eha-Ndiagu. Witnesses said the attackers first shot at his vehicle’s tires before killing him at close range in what authorities described as an execution-style attack.
The Enugu state government denounced the murder as “cowardly” and “cold-blooded,” offering a $6,700 reward for information leading to the killers.
“We will not spare any resources within our reach, including technology and credible intelligence, to track down the criminals and defeat the remnant agents of evil in the state,” Malachy Agbo, communications officer for the Enugu government, said in a Sept. 20 statement.
Police said 38 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack.
While Eya’s community mourned, another diocese celebrated relief. Father Wilfred Ezeamba of St. Paul Parish in Kogi state was freed Sept. 16 after being kidnapped four days earlier.
“We are overjoyed to have our priest back with us,” parishioner Grace Idoko told Africa Independent Television.
“His abduction left us in fear, but God has answered our prayers,” she added.
The Diocese of Idah issued a statement thanking God, the faithful, and security agencies for Ezeamba’s release. Two parishioners kidnapped alongside him were also freed. Police arrested two suspects, though it remains unclear whether a ransom was paid.
The cases highlight a deepening crisis of insecurity and Christian persecution across Nigeria.
Emeka Umeagbalasi, director of the Catholic-inspired NGO Intersociety, questioned the arrests linked to Eya’s killing.
“Was he killed by a mob? If truly he was assassinated by people on a motorbike, why arrest up to 38 people?” he asked. “I believe a lot of innocent people have been arrested, diverting attention from the real killers, who will go and plan for their next attack.”
Umeagbalasi alleged Fulani herders may have been behind the killing and argued it was part of a wider religiously motivated campaign.
Nigeria’s bishops’ conference says at least 145 priests have been kidnapped in the past decade. Umeagbalasi, citing his own research, said the real number is closer to 250 Catholic clergy since 2015, with at least 350 others from other denominations also abducted.
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto described the surge in kidnappings as “a criminal industrial complex” generating millions in ransom payments.
A 2024 report by SBM Intelligence estimated that between July 2023 and June 2024, abductors demanded $32 million for the release of more than 7,500 hostages.
Beyond profit, Umeagbalasi said jihadists are waging a genocidal campaign to wipe out Christianity from Nigeria. He cited Intersociety’s August report claiming an average of 32 Christians are killed daily and 7,000 massacred in the first 220 days of 2025.
The report said 185,000 people — including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 moderate Muslims — have been killed in Nigeria since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009.
“If the trend continues, Christianity could be wiped out from Nigeria by 2075,” Umeagbalasi warned.
