Abuja — Father Ibrahim Amos, parish priest of St. Gerald Quasi Church in Kurmin Risga, a village in the Kauru district of Kaduna state in northwestern Nigeria, has been released. This was announced by the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in a statement. He was abducted from his home in Kurmin Risga in the early morning of April 24 (see Fides, 4/25/2025). According to Father Jacob Shanet, chancellor of the Diocese of Kafanchan, the priest returned home "unharmed" after the abduction.

In the statement released on the day of the kidnapping, Father Shanet thanked the faithful for their prayers and affection: "We thank God and all those who prayed with us during such a dark and terrible time." "May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, Religious, and all Angels, intercede for those still imprisoned and bring them safely back to their families and communities," Father Shanet concluded.

In March, Father Sylvester Okechukwu, parish priest of St. Mary Tachira Church, was also kidnapped and killed in Kaduna State (see Fides 6/3/2025). The alleged perpetrators of the priest's kidnapping and murder were subsequently arrested by security forces (see Fides 26/3/2025).

Pope Francis also spoke out on the scourge of kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria, repeatedly expressing his closeness to the Nigerian Church: "TThe increasingly frequent kidnappings in Nigeria are concerning. I express my closeness in prayer to the Nigerian people, hoping that efforts will be made to contain the spread of these incidents as much as possible." (Angelus, February 25, 2024).