(ZENIT News / Auchi, Nigeria, 07.15.2025).- The Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi, southern Nigeria, was once a sanctuary of learning and prayer. On the night of July 10, that peace was shattered. Armed assailants stormed the diocesan facility shortly after 9 p.m., killing a security guard and abducting three young seminarians. The violence, which took place in Edo State’s Etsako East region, is the latest in a grim series of targeted attacks on Christian institutions across Nigeria.
Father Peter Egielewa, communications director for the Diocese of Auchi, confirmed the details in a statement released the following day. The gunmen fled into the surrounding forest with the abducted students. As of July 15, there has been no contact or claim of responsibility.
The murdered guard, Christopher Aweneghieme, was attached to the Civil Defence Corps and had been stationed at the seminary as part of a broader protection effort. He also collaborated with the Vulnerable People Project, a Catholic initiative focused on defending at-risk communities.
The remaining seminarians were immediately evacuated to a secure location, and security protocols have been tightened around the seminary. But the emotional and spiritual toll is undeniable.
Bishop Gabriel Dunia, who has led the Diocese of Auchi since 2003 and founded the seminary in 2006, responded by calling for diocesan-wide prayer and fasting. He instructed that votive Masses of the Precious Blood of Jesus be celebrated on July 12 and again on July 14, and ordered the continual recitation of the Rosary and Sunday blessings “for the divine protection of the faithful in the diocese, in Edo State, and throughout Nigeria.”
The bishop also issued a blunt appeal to Nigerian security agencies, urging them to go beyond routine patrols and take proactive measures to shield religious communities from harm. “This is not merely an attack on a building,” he said. “It is a violation of hope itself.”
Hope is increasingly difficult to maintain. The July 10 assault marks the second time in less than a year that the seminary has come under threat. In October 2024, two seminarians narrowly escaped abduction thanks to the courageous intervention of the seminary rector, Father Thomas Oyode, who volunteered to be taken in their place. He was held for 11 days before being released.
Such stories of bravery sit alongside a growing list of tragedies. Between 2015 and 2025, 145 Catholic priests in Nigeria were kidnapped, and at least 11 were murdered, according to data reported by Vatican News. Clergy are increasingly viewed as high-value targets by both organized criminal networks and ideologically motivated militant groups.
The line between banditry and terrorism in Nigeria has blurred. What began as an insurgency by Boko Haram in 2009 has metastasized into a nationwide crisis. The group’s ideological offshoots and allied factions continue to ravage communities, while Fulani herder militias—motivated by land disputes, ethnic tensions, and religious friction—add fuel to the fire in central and southern regions. For many rural Christian communities, seminaries included, there are no longer safe zones.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the Auchi seminary attack, its method bears the hallmarks of Nigeria’s ongoing security breakdown. Perpetrators often vanish into forests that function as impromptu base camps and ransom negotiation hubs. The state’s inability to secure its peripheries has led to deepening resentment among religious leaders.
Father Egielewa, speaking on behalf of the diocese, called on all people of goodwill to unite in prayer—not only for the return of the missing seminarians but also for the soul of the slain guard, whom many now describe as a martyr of duty.
The attack resonates beyond the local Church. The Immaculate Conception Seminary has trained more than 500 young men for priestly formation since its founding. Now, its students face not only the spiritual rigors of discernment but the looming threat of violence.
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