Ahead of upcoming elections, unidentified assailants attacked the home of a Nigerian Catholic priest in northwest Nigeria, setting it on fire, killing one priest by burning him to death and shooting and injuring another who tried to flee.
Reverend Father Isaac Achi of the Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church was burnt to death by bandits in an early-morning attack on Kafin Koro Community in the Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State. Around 1:00am, the bandits allegedly broke into the neighborhood and started firing randomly as they made their way to the Rev. Father’s hilltop home.
Paul, a local citizen, said that the robbers split into two groups. While some proceeded to the Catholic priest’s official residence, the others stayed in the town and opened fire to ward off any potential interference.
When the robbers were unable to enter Father Isaac Achi’s home, they turned to lighting his house on fire. According to a police spokeswoman, Father Collins, another priest, was shot as he attempted to escape the blazing home. The priest who was still alive was taken urgently to the hospital for care.
A few hours later, in a different attack, robbers in the northern Katsina state shot a priest and kidnapped five members of a Christian family as they got ready to attend Sunday mass at a neighboring church.
During Sunday Mass in southeastern Nigeria last June, gunmen assaulted a Catholic church, killing scores of worshipers.
