Cardinal in Nigeria attacks government over rise in kidnappings

Cardinal John Onaiyekan spoke out after the release on 10 July of 44 school children and teachers held captive by Jihadists after being kidnapped in mid-May from three schools in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria.

“We still cannot understand that our government says they cannot deal with these criminal elements”, he said after the release of the children and teachers. The former Archbishop of Abuja added: “The kidnapping should not have happened in the first place if the government was serious about fighting insecurity,”

The Nigerian army freed the children and teachers after a month-long rescue operation. The armed forces said several soldiers perished during the rescue, which also involved the police, intelligence agencies and local vigilante groups.

Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinabu increased security measures for schools in the wake of the kidnappings. However, faith leaders criticised Tinabu for failing to tackle the persecution of Christians. 

The fact the kidnapping occurred in the Christian-majority south-west of Nigeria rather than the Muslim-majority north where kidnappings are more frequent caused concern. 

Cardinal Onaiyekan added: “I am praying and hoping that the government will not believe that we have done well now that these children have been released. We should not forget that there are others, maybe hundreds, out there that are still in the hands of terrorists asking for all kinds of ransom”. 

A new report identified Nigeria as one the countries most affected worldwide by the persecution of Christians alongside Syria and Iraq.  International Christian Concern said Islamists were “strengthening their networks” in Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Somalia in the 2026 Global Persecution Index released last week.

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