CATHOLIC PRIEST ABDUCTED AS BANDITS STRIKE SOUTHERN KADUNA, LEAVING TRAIL OF DEATH AND FEAR.

By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke
18- NOV- 2025

Banditry once again erupted in Southern Kaduna in the early hours of Monday, as armed attackers invaded Kushe Gugdu village in the Kagarko Local Government Area, abducting a Catholic priest and several residents, and killing a relative of another priest during the violent raid.

According to the Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, the attackers stormed St. Stephen Parish under the cover of darkness and forcefully took away the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Bobbo Paschal, from his residence. The incident was confirmed in an official communication to clergy members, signed by the Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Christian Okewu Emmanuel. He described the attack as a tragic blow to the church and the wider community, noting that multiple villagers were also seized during the operation.

The Chancellor also disclosed that the brother of Rev. Fr. Anthony Yero was brutally killed during the assault, deepening the sorrow and shock felt across the region. He appealed to all people of goodwill to unite in prayer for the safe return of the abducted individuals and for the peaceful repose of the deceased.

This latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of unchecked violence across Kaduna State. Just days earlier, Amnesty International raised alarm over another attack in Gidan Waya, Lere Local Government Area, where terrorists abducted 12 individuals—including an ECWA pastor and several minors aged 13, 14, and 15—and killed four others. In a public statement, the global rights organisation called on Nigerian authorities to take urgent steps to rescue the captives and to end the persistent cycle of insecurity.

Amnesty International condemned the November 11 attack as yet another example of the government’s continued failure to safeguard vulnerable communities in northern Nigeria. The organisation emphasized that the recurrent assaults have created an atmosphere of fear, instability, and grief for residents who remain unprotected from armed criminal groups.