In Nigeria's Edo state, gunmen stormed Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in the Diocese of Auchi the night of July 10, killing a security officer and abducting three seminarians, according to Aid to the Church in Need.
ACN "strongly condemns a deadly attack carried out on a seminary in Nigeria," the organization said in a July 11 statement.
According to the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, several gunmen stormed the seminary premises, opening fire.
Christopher Aweneghieme, a member of the Nigerian Civil Defense Corps assigned to the seminary, was killed in the assault. Three minor seminarians were kidnapped and taken into the nearby bush, while the remaining students were temporarily relocated to a safe location as security protocols were reinforced.
ACN, a pontifical foundation supporting local churches around the world that are struggling against religious persecution, said in a July 11 press release that it joined the Diocese of Auchi "in mourning the loss of Mr. Aweneghieme and in fervent prayer for the safe and swift release of the abducted seminarians."
"We stand in solidarity with the affected families and the Christian community, which continues to suffer the consequences of violence and instability," it said.
Bishop Gabriel Dunia of Auchi has called upon all priests in the diocese to celebrate Masses, offer Benediction and lead the faithful in praying the rosary for divine protection throughout Edo state and Nigeria.
Describing the attack in a message sent to ACN, released July 15, he said: "They came in large numbers, and it was impossible for the guards to stop them." He further stated that the diocese is "in contact with the assailants through mediators."
The bishop confirmed that the kidnapped seminarians are between 14 and 17 years old, and that the entire seminary community -- students and teachers -- has been evacuated to nearby parishes until security measures are reinforced and a protective fence is erected around the seminary grounds.
Although there has already been contact with the kidnappers, paying a high ransom is not feasible. "The students and their families live in extreme poverty, and the Diocese of Auchi itself depends on external aid, including that from ACN, to cover the basic expenses of priestly formation," Bishop Dunia said. In addition, church authorities in Nigeria follow an official policy of not paying ransoms, partly to avoid encouraging further kidnappings.
The Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary, founded in 2006, has trained over 500 students for the priesthood and "remains a beacon of hope for the local Catholic community," ACN said.
It urged "all people of goodwill to join the faithful in prayer" for the repose of the soul of the victim and "for the unharmed release of the kidnapped seminarians."
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is experiencing deadly violence in several parts of the country -- from internationally recognized terror groups such as Boko Haram, from mainly Islamic Fulani herders, bandits or gangs.
The groups have encroached on farmlands, threatening farm owners and forcing out Christians. Analysts have described this as slow, but silent persecution, which until now, authorities have not classified as terrorism.
In mid-June, after a scene of horror in which around 200 people were "brutally killed" in Yelwata, in Benue state, Nigeria, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the victims, calling it a "terrible massacre."
At the beginning of June, at least 85 people were killed in coordinated waves of attacks in a span of a week in Benue state. The Nigerian church is also experiencing numerous kidnappings of priests.
Father Alphonsus Afina, assigned to several parishes across Alaska from September 2017 through 2024, was abducted June 1 in Nigeria, his home country, along with an unspecified number of fellow travelers while in Nigeria's Borno state, near the northeastern town of Gwoza. Faithful on two continents are praying for his safe return. He remained kidnapped as of July 15.
In December, Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics released a report showing more than 2 million had been abducted between May 2023 and April 2024 alone, with 600,000 Nigerians killed and Nigerians paying some $1.42 billion in ransom -- an average of $1,700 per incident -- during that period.
Despite ongoing persecution, 94% of self-identified Nigerian Catholics surveyed said they attend weekly or daily Mass, according to a study published in early 2023 by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
In his statement to ACN, Bishop Dunia made an emotional appeal for solidarity, both within Nigeria and internationally: "I call on everyone, every person, to come to our aid: to pray for us, to make any effort, whatever it may be -- material, spiritual, or human -- that helps us contain insecurity. Our local efforts are being overwhelmed," he said.
The bishop also expressed frustration at the lack of concrete protection by local authorities.
"We are asking the civilian government to come to the site," Bishop Dunia said.
"They assured us that they would stay to protect the area. But we haven't seen any concrete action so far."
Although the attackers' exact motives are still unclear, Bishop Dunia told ACN that the situation in his diocese, located southwest of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, has been worrying for some time. This is not the first attack on the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary. In March 2025, the seminary rector was kidnapped and one of the seminarians killed.
These repeated attacks highlight the systematic threats increasingly faced by Christian institutions in Nigeria. According to the prelate, the attackers come from the north and are believed to be members of the Fulani ethnic group.
"We don't even know for sure what they want. But we see a growing pattern of attacks directed against Christian communities and institutions," said the bishop, who expressed concern that this may be an attempt to occupy land or expel the Christian community from the area.
