By Jean-Benoît Harel
“Those who threaten us with death make us stronger.” In one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian, Spiritan priest Fr Clément Chimaobi Emefu refuses to be ruled by fear. A professor of Canon Law at the Spiritan International School of Theology (SIST) in Attakwu, Enugu State, he seeks to serve as a model for his students and a “sign of hope,” because, as he says, “what makes us vulnerable strengthens our faith.”
Enugu State, unlike northern Nigeria, has a Christian majority. However, while jihadist attacks by groups such as Boko Haram are more often associated with the north, Fr Emefu believes the threat to Christians is spreading nationwide. According to him, Christians are facing “a project of Islamization of Nigeria,” which he describes as “an ongoing process” marked by both violence and institutional neglect.
A surge in kidnappings
One of the most visible threats to Christians in the southeast is the growing number of kidnappings. In the past decade, over 200 priests and religious have been abducted in Nigeria. The beginning of 2025 has already seen a sharp rise, with about a dozen kidnappings, two of which resulted in the death of the victims.
Priests and religious, often travelling alone to serve schools, hospitals, or remote communities, are particularly vulnerable. Fr Emefu, a Canonist for the Southeastern Spiritan Province of Nigeria, frequently drives over 100 kilometres on unsafe roads to reach his office in Onitsha.
The dilemma of ransom
Among the recent cases is that of Spiritan priest Fr Gerald Ohaeri, abducted on Nov 30, 2024, by Fulani kidnappers, a nomadic Muslim ethnic group also known as Peuls. While the Church maintains it does not pay ransoms, Fr Emefu acknowledges the complexity of the situation: “In practice, it’s very difficult, because your brother is under serious threat.”
He was closely involved in the efforts to secure Fr Ohaeri’s release. Yet he warns that “if we foolishly agree to pay the ransom, the kidnappings of priests, monks, and nuns will continue to increase exponentially.” Pressure from families eager to pay further complicates the Church’s stance.
A silent form of persecution
The threats extend beyond abductions. According to Fr Emefu, the presence of armed herders, primarily Muslim nomads from the north, is increasingly visible in the southeast. “They are everywhere,” he says. “Even when I leave my school to go to the city of Enugu, I encounter them.”
These groups often encroach on farmland, threatening Christian landowners and forcing them to flee. While not classified as terrorism, this displacement amounts to a slow and silent form of persecution. “They enter the forests, the farmlands, and threaten the landowners, often Christians, who are forced to flee,” he explains. “And it is increasing terribly.”
Speaking out, despite the risks
Publicly denouncing such violence carries its own risks. The Bishop of the nearby Diocese of Makurdi, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, CMF, was recently informed he could face arrest upon returning to Nigeria after testifying before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. In his address, the Bishop urged the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
The Association of Priests of the Diocese of Makurdi voiced strong support for Bishop Anagbe, condemning any form of intimidation. Their statement described his testimony as “not only a moral obligation, but an evangelical imperative rooted in the defence of human dignity.”
Despite the dangers, Fr Emefu remains resolute. Speaking to Vatican News, he acknowledges the personal risks he faces when travelling outside the city or ministering in rural communities. Yet he remains committed to being a witness for his roughly 200 students, both seminarians and lay people, at SIST.
“Those who threaten us, those who terrorise us, those who make us vulnerable—this is the source of the strengthening of our faith,” he concludes. – Vatican News
