Silenced at last

• Published date: 22 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

After several failed attempts to kill Fr. Achi, terrorists finally burnt him alive in his house, on Jan. 15

Late Rev. Fr. Isaac Achi of St. Theresa's Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, would have been at the altar today celebrating any of the masses either at his parish or any other parish around him. But sadly, paradoxically, any officiating priest and his parishioners can only pray for the repose of his soul. The priest, on January 15, 2023 was burnt to death while the now notorious terrorists euphemistically called bandits supervised his death, after they set ablaze the building housing the priest and others. Another priest, Fr. Collins escaped with gunshot wounds.

The death of Fr. Achi made headlines not because it was special or because he was seen as immortal, but his death comes with many contradictions and further confirms the Hobbesian state that Nigeria has become where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. The priest, before his sad death had been described as the priest with nine lives. He was a survivor of the 2011 Madalla Christmas day church bombing where about 40 parishioners were killed.

The late priest was the first indigenous Catholic priest from Gbagyi/Koro land of Niger State. He was ordained in 1995 after the routine tedious formation and training years for the journey to priesthood. He had been a victim of several vicious attacks and kidnapping. Indeed, he had once been kidnapped and his parishioners raised the ransom for his release. He was shot at a baby dedication ceremony where he had gone to bless the baby. He was flown abroad for treatment but carried the scar with him till his gruesome murder by yet-to-be arrested assailants, through arson.

The late priest is not the first Nigerian nor the first priest to be killed in recent years in NIgeria. In fact, tens of thousands of Nigerians have been victims of the dire situation of insecurity. Some have been killed, maimed or become internally displaced persons (IDPs). The global Catholic charity organization based in the United Kingdom, Aid to the Church in Need, has reported that more than 28 Catholic priests were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2022 alone. Four were killed during the same period.

While there have been unprecedented levels of insecurity in the land, with numbing number of casualties, the attack on clerics, especially those of the Catholic Church have attracted wide condemnations from global citizens, including Pope Francis. We believe it is not because clerics...