A 25-year-old Catholic Seminarian in Nigeria was burnt to death after the presbytery where he was living was set on fire in what has been confirmed by the Diocesan Bishop as a kidnapping attempt by terrorists.
Bishop Julius Yakubu Kundi of Kafanchan disclosed that seminarian Na’aman Danlami died Thursday when terrorists identified as Fulanis bandits attacked St. Raphael Fadan Kamantan Parish in the diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Nigeria around 8 pm, and set the presbytery ablaze.
In an interview with the Catholic pontifical and charity foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, Bishop Kundi confirmed that the parish priest, Father Emmanuel Okolo, and his assistant were able to escape the fire but Seminarian Danlami died in the attack.
“The attackers were aiming to kidnap the parish priest. When they failed in their attempt to enter the father’s house, they set it on fire. The two priests were able to escape but the seminarian was burned inside,” The Nigerian Catholic Bishop was quoted by ACN as saying over the phone.
“The assault lasted more than an hour, but there was no reaction or support from the military forces. A kilometer away there is a checkpoint, but there was a total absence of reaction”, he added.
“Nigerian citizens are unprotected. We hardly benefit from the security forces,” Kundi lamented.
The Seminarian body was recovered the following day according to the bishop who described his death as “a terrible loss.”
“We recovered the body of Na’aman Danlami this morning and took it to the morgue. This seminarian is the second member we have lost in the diocese at the hands of terrorist attacks by Fulani bandits.”
Bishop Kundi also revealed that Father John Mark Cheitnum, director of communications of the Diocese of Kafanchan, was kidnapped last year, and brutally murdered.