Amid a rash of mass kidnappings in Nigeria, an Anglican priest in Nigeria abducted along with his wife and daughter has died in captivity, leaders of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion announced on Wednesday.
The Rev. Edwin Achi was kidnapped on Oct. 28 along with his wife, Sarah Achi, and daughter from Nissi village, Chikun County, in Kaduna state. Church leaders did not say how he died, but the assailants had demanded a ransom of 600 million naira ($415,216).
“The Venerable Edwin, who was kidnapped alongside his wife on 28 October, has been confirmed dead,” the Anglican leaders said in a press statement. “His transition is a painful loss to the entire Diocese, the clergy, the church family and all who were blessed by his faithful ministry, humble spirit and unwavering devotion to the service of God. We continue to pray for the release of his wife and daughter still in the hands of kidnappers.”
Days before his death, his captors released a photo of him and his wife along with other captive Christians.
Harrison Gwamnishu of Safe City Foundation had said in a prior press statement that the ransom sum was outrageous.
“In the photo released by the kidnappers, other innocent victims are also seen, showing this is not an isolated attack but part of a growing wave of insecurity,” Gwamnishu said. “I am calling on the federal government, the Kaduna state government and all relevant security agencies to act swiftly and decisively. This situation is unacceptable. Every day these victims remain in captivity is another day of trauma and uncertainty for their families and communities. The government must intervene immediately to secure their safe release.”
Nelly Achi, a relative of the Anglican priest, had said in a public statement, “We are crying and pleading for mercy, Jehovah; 600 million [naira] is the demand for their ransom. This is quite huge for the family to handle. We are soliciting and begging for your acts of kindness.”
Wave of Kidnappings
The announcement came as Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, under pressure from the U.S. administration, on Wednesday (Nov. 26) ordered the recruitment of 20,000 security personnel to be added to the existing force of 30,000 following a wave of mass kidnappings.
“The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000,” Tinubu said in a press statement. “My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas.”
Among recent mass kidnappings, gunmen abducted 303 students from a Catholic boarding school in Papiri village, Niger state on Nov. 21, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). About 50 of them escaped shortly after, according to the local chapter of CAN.
Niger Gov. Umar Bago reportedly said the number of abducted students was “far, far below” 303 and that area schools had been closed four years ago due to threats. He faulted St. Mary’s Catholic School officials for re-opening the institution as gunmen issued threats two month prior and also four years ago, resulting in the school closures, according to the BBC.
In Eruku village, Kwara state, assailants killed two Christians at the worship service of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and abducted 38 others on Nov. 21. Tinubu and state officials announced on Sunday (Nov. 23) that the 38 worshippers abducted in Kwara state had been released without giving terms of their freedom.
In Kebbi state’s Maga town, 25 girls were kidnapped from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School on Nov. 17, with one reportedly escaping the same day. Again without providing details, Tinubu announced on Tuesday (Nov. 25) that the 24 remaining schoolgirls had been released.
Suspected culprits in the kidnappings are Islamic extremist groups, predominantly Muslim Fulani militias and criminal gangs.
In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to a report by the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG). Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.
The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List report. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.
Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, according to the APPG report.
“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.
Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
Nigeria remained among the most dangerous places on earth for Christians, according to the WWL. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.
Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 worst countries for Christians.
