Report: 39 Catholic priests killed in Nigeria, 30 abducted in 2022

At least 39 Catholic priests were killed in Nigeria by gunmen, while 30 others abducted in the year 2022, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.

In the report titled “Attacks on Priests” released by the research outfit on Monday, 145 attacks on Catholic priests were recorded last year.

SBM Intelligence, a research organisation, compiles and analyses data about happenings in the country.

The north-central was the worst hit with 12 killings while the north-west recorded nine deaths. The south-east and south-south recorded five deaths each while the north-east and north-west had four deaths each.

SBM said out of the incidents, 28 were perpetuated by kidnappers, three by herdsmen, two by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), two by Boko Haram, and one each by bandits and mob violence.

“2022 was an awful year for the clergy. None in that group suffered more than Catholic priests, who at a point, were subjected to near-daily abductions with ransom demands set at an average of N50 million per priest,” the report reads.

“Although there were quite genuine fears that these abductions were targeted persecution of the Christian faith, the financial imperative in a holy abduction has somewhat eclipsed such concerns.”