Kaduna Archdiocese refutes rumors that kidnapped Fr. Bobbo Paschal was killed, confirms he is alive and urges public to ignore false reports amid ongoing rescue efforts
Newsroom (20/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) The Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna has categorically refuted social media claims that Rev. Fr. Bobbo Paschal, kidnapped earlier this week, has been killed, declaring the reports “false and unfounded” and urging the public to disregard them.
In a statement released Thursday, November 20, Archdiocesan Chancellor Fr. Christian Okewu Emmanuel addressed the circulating rumors, emphasizing that the abducted priest remains alive while security agencies continue efforts to secure his release.
“Our attention has been drawn to the unverified news being circulated on social media that the abducted Priest, Fr. Bobbo Paschal, has been killed,” Fr. Okewu said in the statement shared with ACI Africa. “We wish to refute this information completely as false, unfounded, and should be disregarded by the public.”
He affirmed that “Fr. Paschal is still alive, and ongoing efforts by relevant authorities are being made toward his safe and immediate release.”
The chancellor appealed to bloggers, social media users, and the general public to refrain from disseminating unverified information, warning that such rumors could trigger unnecessary panic, deepen trauma for the priest’s family, and hinder rescue operations.
“Any further updates not communicated through our official channel of communication should be disregarded,” Fr. Okewu stressed, while expressing gratitude for ongoing prayers and calling for continued solidarity with Fr. Paschal and others still held by their captors.
Fr. Paschal was seized in the early hours of November 17 when armed gunmen stormed the rectory of St. Stephen Parish in the Kaduna Archdiocese. In a separate statement issued the same day, Fr. Okewu reported that several other individuals were abducted during the attack and that the brother of Rev. Fr. Anthony Yero was killed.
The incident is the latest in a string of targeted assaults on Catholic clergy and institutions in Nigeria, where rampant insecurity — fueled by banditry, ransom kidnappings, Boko Haram terrorism, and clashes involving Fulani militias — has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions since 2009.
Earlier this year, three minor seminarians from Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in the Diocese of Auchi were kidnapped in July. Despite ransom payments, the teenagers endured months of torture; two were eventually released, while the third died in captivity.
Church leaders and human-rights monitors have repeatedly highlighted the vulnerability of Christian communities, particularly in Nigeria’s northern and central regions, amid what critics describe as inadequate government response to the escalating violence.
The Archdiocese of Kaduna has urged faithful and people of goodwill to intensify prayers for Fr. Paschal’s swift and safe return, as well as for lasting peace across the country.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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