In a violent assault on July 10, armed assailants stormed the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi, Edo State, Nigeria, killing a security officer and abducting three seminarians. The incident, confirmed by Fides News Agency on July 12, marks another tragic episode in the growing wave of violence against religious institutions in the region.
The Diocese of Auchi reported that the attack occurred shortly after 9:00 PM. Bishop Gabriel Dunia mourned the loss of Officer Christopher Aweneghieme of the Nigerian Civil Defense Corps, who was fatally shot during the raid. The bishop also noted that no contact had yet been made with the kidnappers.
In response to the threat, the remaining seminarians have been relocated to a safer location while security measures are reinforced at the seminary. Local police condemned the attack as “barbaric” and a “direct assault on public peace and religious freedom.”
Bishop Dunia has urged all parishes within the diocese to celebrate the Mass of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus as a united prayer for the safe return of the kidnapped students and for the conversion of their captors.
This is not the first time the Immaculate Conception Seminary has come under attack. In October 2024, gunmen kidnapped the seminary’s rector, Father Thomas Oyode, from the chapel. He was eventually released after 11 days in captivity.
The recent incident reflects a disturbing trend affecting the Catholic Church in Nigeria. According to Fides, between 2015 and 2025, 145 priests were kidnapped, with 11 of them murdered. The country’s deteriorating economic conditions have turned abductions for ransom into a lucrative criminal enterprise.
As the faithful pray for peace and protection, the Church continues to urge authorities to provide adequate security for religious institutions across the nation.