A Catholic priest alongside 10 of his parishioners has been kidnapped in northern Nigeria. During the attack, three parishioners were also killed. The attack took place at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Kafanchan Diocese at 3:20am Nigeria time.
The diocese announced with “profound sadness” that Rev. Fr Nathaniel Asuwaye was “kidnapped alongside ten other people at Karku, Kauru LGA of Kaduna State, Nigeria”. The statement continued that the abduction took place at his residence and that “the situation was described by the villagers as an act of invasion by a group of terrorists”.
The statement, signed by the Diocesan Chancellor, the Very Rev. Fr Jacob Shanet, further urged “all priests, Christian faithful, and men and women of goodwill to pray for Fr Nathaniel, the other ten people, and the repose of the souls of those who were killed during the attack”, and added that the “entire Diocese of Kafanchan entrusts them to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of all priests and help of Christians, for their speedy and safe release from the hands of these evildoers”.
Nigerian Christians have faced deadly and severe persecution in recent years. In November last year, more than 300 children and staff from a Catholic school in Niger State were abducted. The abduction reignited tragic memories for the West African country. In 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from Chibok, Borno State, many of whom remain missing, and in 2018, 110 girls were seized in Dapchi, Yobe State.
Open Doors, an advocacy group for persecuted Christians around the world, has placed Nigeria at number seven in its annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. The groups 2024 report found that Nigeria was the country with the highest number of Christians killed for their faith, with 3,100 Christians killed and 2,830 kidnapped that year.
Responding to the persecution, on 31 October 2025 the United States government redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act, citing mounting reports of targeted attacks on Christian minorities and the government’s persistent failure to provide adequate protection.
After almost two months of discussion, with Nigeria declaring a state of emergency on November 26 and mounting pressure for the issue to be addressed, the United States launched strikes on Christmas Day against militants linked to the Islamic State in Sokoto State, in the north-west of the country, where militants have sought to establish a foothold.
While the military response appears to be an isolated intervention, there are calls for more to be done. In an interview with Fox News released just a day before the attack, Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi “Remi” Tinubu, who is herself a practising Christian, described the intervention as “quite a blessing”. She added: “we are expecting that there will be more,” and gave a detailed account of the measures being put in place by the Nigerian government to counter the violence against Christians.
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