“Bandits returned only his dead body after paying millions as ransom” – Rufai Oseni, an anchor with the Arise TV, lamented the tragic death of Venerable Edwin Achi.
Oseni fought back tears on air as he paid tribute to Venerable Achi, the Kaduna Anglican priest who was murdered by his kidnappers even after his family had paid a huge ransom.
“Nigeria has happened to him,” Rufai said quietly.
“They raised money, paid the ransom, and then the bandits called and said, ‘Come and carry your pastor’s body, it is already decomposing.’’
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He was killed simply because he was a clergyman, a man of God. When people say there is no religious persecution of Christians in this country, I will tell them the plain truth: this was murder because of his faith.”
Instead of freedom, they received directions to a bush path where Ven. Achi’s body lay. His wife and daughter are still being held.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking detail Rufai shared: the priest’s mother, who is in her nineties and lives in Delta State, has still not been told that her son is dead.
“Nobody has found the courage to break the news to her,” he said. “Imagine a woman in her nineties waiting for a son in his sixties to come home… and he never will.”
The murder has deepened the national conversation about the targeting of Christian clergy in northern Nigeria. Many Nigerians praised Rufai for speaking plainly, with one viral comment reading: “Thank you, Rufai. When pastors are killed after paying ransom, it is no longer just kidnapping. It is hatred.”
The Diocese of Kaduna has cancelled its big annual outreach programme in honour of Ven. Achi and continues to plead for the release of his wife and daughter.
The priest, in his early 60s, was abducted from his home in Nissi Village of of Chikun Local Government Area, near Kaduna Refinery, on the night of 28 October together with his wife (a Customs officer) and their daughter. After weeks of desperate fundraising, the family managed to pay the reduced ransom of N100 million.
Earlier, the bandits had sent photographs of the couple to their family as proof of life, while demanding a ransom of N600 million.
The images showed Venerable Achi and his wife in a distressed state. Other captives were also visible, reportedly tied in chains and appearing malnourished.
A source told SaharaReporters on Wednesday night that Achi, the Priest-in-Charge of Ebenezer Anglican Church, Ungwan Maijero, Kaduna, had died while in captivity.
As burial plans begin in Delta State, the priest’s death has become another painful reminder that, for too many families, paying ransom no longer guarantees a loved one’s safe return.
