Kaduna ‘Most Dangerous Place To Be Catholic Priest’ In 2023 – Report

Kaduna State has been adjudged by security experts as a vulnerable place for catholic priests considering the number of abducted clerics between July 2022 and June 2023, in the state.

An updated report by SB Morgen, a risk assessment organisation, titled “The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry 2023 Update”, disclosed this on Thursday.

The report said Catholic priests had become a notable demographic among the kidnap targets and no fewer than 21 Catholic priests were abducted in Nigeria in the period under review.

A breakdown of the data showed that at least five Catholic priests were abducted in Kaduna and three in Benue, Edo, and Anambra States.

Two were further abducted in Imo, Delta, and one each from Enugu, Ekiti, and Taraba.

“In the past, such abductions were mostly carried out on the roads. However, kidnappers have become bolder in going after priests during services. Kaduna was the most dangerous state to be a Catholic priest in Nigeria this year,” the report said.

It noted that previous reports revealed that kidnappers demanded N50 million ransom for abducted Catholic priests, but “this year, however, it has been impossible to know if that price has changed”, the report said.

SB Morgen gave reasons to include that churches had majorly stopped announcing the abduction of their clergymen; If there was any contact by the kidnappers in cases where an abduction had occurred and the amount demanded or subsequently paid to the abductors.

“This shift in transparency is likely driven by the concern that disclosing such details might exacerbate the vulnerability of priests to further attacks. Catholic priests have consistently been singled out as targets due to their perceived premium ransom value.

“Kidnappers have recognised that abducting clergymen from the Catholic Church is more profitable than targeting an average citizen because the Church would readily release her resources for the former,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the report claimed that between the period under review, at least 3,620 people were kidnapped in 582 kidnap-related incidents in Nigeria.

“Kidnappers requested at least N5 billion as ransom but got N302 million, according to ransom payments disclosed by victims and family members.

“This amounts to six percent of the ransom demanded. We believe these numbers could be far higher than reported.

“This is because victims’ families and the police often choose not to state whether or not a ransom was paid to procure the release of the abducted, and in the few cases when ransom
payments are acknowledged, the fees are hardly disclosed,” the report said.

Other reasons, according to the report, revealed that the police hardly pressure communities to conceal ransom payments, unlike in single incidents.

“Another factor contributing to the variance between the ransom demanded and ransom paid is that most times, kidnappers, while disregarding the net worth of their victims, prefer to begin with the highest values, which are often negotiated to an acceptable sum between victims’ families and kidnappers”.

SB Morgen said the eventual sum is often reached through a combination of resources from the family and friends of the victims.