Kidnappers Free Nigerian Priests, Cook Killed

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent

ABUJA (Worthy News) – Nigerian priest Joseph Danjuma Shekari was free Tuesday after suspected Islamic gunmen briefly abducted him from his parish house in northern Nigeria, church sources said.

The church cook was killed in the late Sunday, February 6, attack in Kaduna state, according to Catholic Church officials.

Shekari, who leads the St. Monica’s Catholic Church in the Ikulu Parish of Kaduna State’s Kauru Local Government Area, was freed late Monday, February 7.

“With hearts filled with joy, we raise our voices in a symphony of praises as we announce the return of our brother,” said church leader Emmanuel Okechukwu Okolo in a statement.

He didn’t specify whether any ransom had been paid to obtain his release.

But Okolo stressed that prayers were being said for the family of Sati Musa, the late cook working in Shekari’s household.

The priest’s release after roughly 24 hours was viewed as a miracle amid ongoing attacks and kidnappings targeting Christians in Kaduna State, Christians suggested.

In December 2021, more than 60 Christians abducted from a church in the Chikun Local Government Area were released after many weeks in captivity, Christian aid workers said.

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