A 54-year-old Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Benjamin Okwy Madu, has k+lled himself in Massachusetts, United States, days after he was ordered to leave the country and return to Nigeria, where he had reportedly expressed fears for his safety.
Madu d+ed on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, according to the Archdiocese of Boston, where he had served as a hospital chaplain and parish priest since 2021. His religious worker visa was due to expire on July 29, but his home Diocese of Abakaliki had instructed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled to begin on August 4.
According to reports, the priest had repeatedly indicated that he did not want to return to Nigeria. In a farewell message to parishioners, he said his departure was not by choice but was necessitated by circumstances beyond his control.
Days before his de@th, Madu reportedly suffered a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass and was treated at a hospital emergency room.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning later informed fellow priests that Madu had d+ed by s¥icide, while the Archdiocese’s public statement announcing his death did not specify the cause.
A US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition claimed the priest experienced severe emotional distress over the prospect of returning to a region where Catholic clergy have been targeted by kidn@ppers and att@ckers. The group also linked his inability to renew his US religious worker visa to current immigration restrictions.
Following his de@th, the coalition called on US authorities to halt deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status to Nigerian nationals living in the country.
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