Gunmen kill security guard and abduct 3 seminarians in Nigeria

Gunmen killed a security guard and abducted three seminarians in the Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria’s Edo State on the night of 10 July.

Bandits breached the walls of the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary at Ivhianokpodi, in Nigeria’s Edo State, for the second time in less than a year, killing Mr. Christopher Aweneghieme, a Nigerian Civil Defence officer assigned to the seminary, before abducting three teenage seminarians.

This comes following an attack in October 2024, when gunmen abducted Rev. Fr. Thomas Oyode and killed a young seminarian. The abducted priest returned to the seminary alive, but battered and traumatised. 

In a statement shared with ACI Africa, the Catholic News Agency’s African arm, the Director of Communications of the Nigerian Episcopal See, Fr. Peter Egielewa, said that the 9pm attack on the Catholic institution located in Ivhianokpodi, Etsako East Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State involved “several gunmen”.

“In the process, the Nigerian Civil Defence Security official, Mr Christopher Aweneghieme, stationed at the Seminary was killed, and three Minor Seminarians were abducted and led into the bush,” Fr. Egielewa added.

The Nigerian Catholic priest also said that the other seminarians had been moved to “a safe area until security measures around the Seminary are tightened”.

“Unfortunately, no communication has been had with the abductors yet,” he added.

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

The situation has been exasperated by the involvement of the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia.

Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have repeatedly denounced the reported killings and abductions in the West African nation, and challenged the government to prioritise the safeguarding of human life.

Photo: Nigerian policemen take position near protestors gathering during the End Bad Governance protest in Abuja on August 1, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)