Michael Nnadi, Seminarian Killed By Kidnappers - Catholic News Agency

[Edoman]

Kidnapped Nigerian seminarian has been killed

Sokoto, Nigeria, Feb 1, 2020 / 01:51 pm (CNA).-

One of four Nigerian seminarians kidnapped last month has been killed, reportedly by his abductors. The three seminarians kidnapped along with him were released in the weeks following their kidnapping.

“With a very heavy heart, I wish to inform you that our dear son, Michael was murdered by the bandits on a date we cannot confirm. He and the wife of a doctor were arbitrarily separated from the group and killed. The Rector identified the corpse this afternoon,” Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, Nigeria, said in a statement released Feb. 1.

Michael Nnadi was 18 years old.

Information about the woman killed with Nnadi is not yet available.

Nnadi himself was taken by gunmen from Good Shepherd Seminary in Kaduna, around 10:30 pm on Jan. 8.

With him were Pius Kanwai, 19; Peter Umenukor, 23; and Stephen Amos, 23. The four seminarians were at the beginning of their philosophy studies.

The gunmen, disguised in military camouflage, broke through the fence surrounding the seminarians' living quarters and began shooting sporadically. They stole laptops and phones before kidnapping the four young men.

On Jan. 20, ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner, reported that one of the abducted seminarians had been freed by his kidnappers after 10 days in captivity. That seminarian was dumped alongside the highway with extensive injuries, which are believed to have been sustained during the kidnapping. He is now receiving medical treatment.

On Friday, Jan. 31, an official at Good Shepherd Seminary announced that two more of the kidnapped seminarians had been released. At that time, it was reported that one seminary was still at large, and was presumed to remain in captivity. That seminarian was Nnadi.

In his Feb. 1 statement, Bishop Kukah said that he had to delay the announcement of Nnadi’s death slightly until his mother could be informed.

“We have broken the news to her and I will be with her,” Kukah said Feb. 1.

“The Lord knows best. Let's remain strong and pray for the repose of his soul,” Kukah added.

Nearly 270 seminarians live at Good Shepherd.

The seminary is located just off the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria Express Way. According to AFP, the area is “notorious for criminal gangs kidnapping travelers for ransom.”


Schoolgirls and staff from a boarding school located near the same highway were kidnapped in October, and were later released.

In the last year, several priests and seminarians, along with pastors from other Christian denominations, have been kidnapped in Nigeria, some for ranson, and some by Islamist militant and terrorist groups.

Church leaders have called on the government to prioritize the security of its citizens.

“The security situation in Nigeria is appalling”, Thomas Heine-Geldern, executive president of ACN International, said Jan. 13. “Criminal gangs are further exploiting the chaotic situation and making matters still worse.”

He compared the situation in Nigeria to that of Iraq prior to the Islamic State's invasion: “Already at that stage, Christians were being abducted, robbed and murdered because there was no protection by the state. This must not be allowed to happen to the Christians of Nigeria. The government must act now, before it is too late.”

For his part, Bishop Kukah urged prayer.

“Please let us be calm. May God give him eternal rest,” he wrote Feb. 1.

Funeral arrangements for Nnadi have not yet been announced.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/kidnapped-nigerian-seminarian-has-been-killed-44478

[Edoman]

Michael Nnadi: Corpse Of The Seminarian Who Was Killed By Kidnappers (Graphic)


Here is the corpse one of the four Nigerian seminarians who was kidnapped and killed by his abductors.The 18yr old identified as Michael Nnadi was killed alongside the wife of a doctor.

Source: http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2020/02/see-corpse-of-seminarian-who-was-killed.html?m=1

[Edoman]

18-year-old Seminarian killed by kidnappers, buried amid tears in Kaduna (photos)






Micheal Nnadi, a seminarian at the Good Shepherd Catholic Major Seminary in Kaduna State, who was killed by kidnappers, was buried on Tuesday February 11.
 
Nnadi,18 and three other seminarians were abducted from their hostel by kidnappers on January 10, 2020, and taken to an unknown destination. While the three other victims were later released from captivity, Nnadi was not lucky as he was killed and his corpse found along the Kaduna- Abuja highway on February 2nd.
 
Friends, family, and colleagues of the deceased could not hold back their tears as his remains was laid to rest at the school’s cemetery.
 

 
The funeral mass which had in attendance Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, Bishop of Kaduna Diocese, Most Reverend Mathew Ndagoso was held in honour of the seminarian.
 
Bishop Kukah in his sermon asked Christians to keep their faith alive despite the trying moment.
 
He called on the government to adopt a holistic approach in fighting insecurity in the country rather than play the blame game.
 
While describing the security situation as a sign of a near failed state, he called for the sack of the service chiefs, stating tht they ''have run out of fresh ideas to tackle the situation.''
 
The Catholic Bishops Conference at the burial also called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the nation’s security and protect its citizens from being killed endlessly.
 
See photos from the burial ceremony below...

[Edoman]

Nigeria does not possess the values any sane citizen would die for - Bishop Kukah laments







Matthew Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, lamented about the state of Nigeria while in Kaduna for the burial of 18-year-old Michael Nnadi, the seminarian killed by kidnappers in the state.
 
On Tuesday, February 11, while delivering the homily at the Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaukau, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Bishop Kukah pointed out that the leaders of Nigeria are only loyal to their positions and not to the country. As a result, Nigeria does not possess those values that any sane citizen would want to die for.
 
He pointed out that citizens of some other countries are willing to risk their lives for their nations but this isn't the case in Nigeria because there is nothing that the citizens can be ready to die for.
 
He said, "Nigeria is at a point where we must call for a verdict. There must be something that a man, nay, a nation should be ready to die for.
 
"Sadly, or even tragically, today, Nigeria, does not possess that set of goals or values for which any sane citizen is prepared to die for her.
 
"Perhaps, I should correct myself and say that the average officeholder is ready to die to protect his office but not for the nation that has given him or her that office."
 
He went on to say President Muhammadu Buhari runs the "most nepotistic and narcissistic government in known history."
 
18-year-old Nigerian seminarian, Michael Nnadi was kidnapped along with three other seminarians on the night of 8 January. Gunmen attacked the Good Shepherd Seminary in Kakau, Kaduna state. While three others were later released, Michael was separated from the others and murdered. A Kaduna-based doctor’s wife also killed by the kidnapping gang.