A Catholic priest in Chikun, Kaduna State, Moses Bonugada, has stated that Catholic priests have become a major target for bandits in the terror-ridden state.
Over 20 Catholic priests have been kidnapped or killed in Kaduna in 2022.
According to Daily Post, Bonugada in Kaduna, on Saturday, expressed worries over the increased attack on Catholic priests in the state.
He said, “Gunmen suspected to be bandits, terrorising innocent people in Kaduna State, have now beamed their searchlights on religious leaders, especially, Christian leaders and some few individuals in the state.
“There had been an attack across the three Senatorial Districts that make up 23 Local Government Areas of the State in the past, but recent happenings showed that Christian religious leaders are mostly affected.”
“On March 8, 2022, Reverend Father Joseph Bako, the pastoral residence of Saint John’s Catholic Church, Kudenda in Chikun LGA, was killed by his abductors after collecting an undisclosed ransom.
“On June 25, 2022, Reverend Father Vitus Borogo, also a Catholic priest, was killed in his farm in Kujama by armed bandits.
“Also, on July 4, 2022, bandits, in the early hours of that very Monday, abducted Reverend Father Emmanuel Silas of the St. Charles Catholic Church, Zambina, in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State,” he added.
He called on all religious leaders to pray against the evil trying to bring division in the state, just as he pleaded with the government to put measures in place, in order to stop the ugly happenings.