The Catholic Diocese of Auchi has confirmed the violent abduction of Rev. Fr. Philip Ekweli, the parish priest of St Peter Catholic Church, Iviukhua-Agenebode, along with a major seminarian serving in the Parish.
The attack is said to have occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Monday, 3rd March 2025, when armed gunmen stormed the priest’s rectory and church premises in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
According to a statement issued by the Diocese’s Directorate of Social Communications, the assailants forcibly gained entry by pulling down doors and windows amid gunfire.
Local vigilantes attempted to repel the attackers, but the kidnappers, wielding superior weapons, overpowered them and took Fr. Ekweli and the seminarian into the surrounding forests.
Reacting to the incident, the Bishop of Auchi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Gabriel Dunia, condemned the increasing attacks on priests in his diocese and the deteriorating security situation in Edo North.
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He expressed deep sorrow over the latest abduction, stating: “The once peaceful Edo North of the State, which houses the Diocese of Auchi, has become a field of the absurd where kidnappers come in at will and at regular intervals and kidnap people for ransom. It has become a business centre for kidnappers, calling on the Government to address these persistent security challenges in Edo North and other parts of Edo State.”
The Diocese, which marked its 22nd anniversary on 22nd February 2025, has witnessed a disturbing pattern of clergy abductions. “In the last five years, over eight of her priests have been kidnapped, with one brutally murdered in 2022,” the statement revealed.
In response to this latest abduction, the Diocese has called on all people of goodwill to join in prayers for the safe release of Fr. Ekweli and the seminarian. “The Catholic Diocese of Auchi requests all people of goodwill to join the faithful of the Diocese in prayers so that the abductors release Fr. Ekweli unharmed,” the statement urged.
