Two months after being kidnapped from his home at the rectory of Saint Stephen’s Church in the Archdiocese of Kaduna in northwestern Nigeria, Father Bobbo Paschal was released unharmed Jan. 17, according to Agenzia Fides.
The archdiocese has not provided information about the circumstances or terms of Fr. Paschal’s release.
However, in a statement, the archdiocese expressed Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso’s “profound gratitude … to the security agencies for their tireless efforts, and to all people of goodwill for their prayers, support, and solidarity throughout this period of anxiety and uncertainty,” according to ACI Africa.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Fr. Paschal was abducted in a violent attack on the community of Kushe Gugdu in Kaduna State. The strike, which began early in the morning of Nov. 17, led to the death of Fr. Paschal’s brother. Many laypeople were kidnapped along with Fr. Paschal, but the archdiocese has not commented on their current status.
In recent years, Nigerian Christians have suffered many attacks, kidnappings, and killings committed by Islamic terrorists. CatholicVote’s previous coverage reports that Jihadist organizations are particularly powerful in northeastern Nigeria, though their actions have been spreading across the country.