US-Based Nigerian Priest Takes Own Life After Deportation Order

A tragic incident has occurred in the United States, where a Nigerian Catholic priest, Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, took his own life. This happened just days after he was ordered to return to Nigeria, a country where he had expressed fear for his life due to the kidnappings and killings of Catholic clergy. The 54-year-old priest had been serving in the Archdiocese of Boston as a hospital chaplain and parish priest on Cape Ann since 2021. According to the Archdiocese, Madu's religious worker visa was set to expire on July 29, but his home Diocese of Abakaliki had instructed him to return to Nigeria even sooner, ahead of a new assignment scheduled to begin on August 4. In his remarks to parishioners and a farewell message on the parish's website, Madu had stated that returning to Nigeria was not his wish, but 'circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end.' The Sunday before his death, Madu suffered a panic attack while driving to Mass and was treated at a hospital emergency room. Boston Archbishop Richard Henning confirmed Madu's death in an internal email to fellow priests, describing it as a tragic incident. The Essex County District Attorney's office has launched an investigation into Madu's death, but foul play is not suspected. The US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition has released a statement, highlighting the rigid US immigration restrictions as a factor in Madu's death. The coalition has called on US authorities to halt deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status to Nigerian nationals in the country. Madu, who was born on May 15, 1972, and ordained at St Theresa Cathedral, Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State, would have marked his 25th anniversary in the priesthood on July 7, five days after his death.