“A terrible experience”: Nigerian Catholic Priest Recounts Abduction Ordeal

Yola, 04 June, 2024 / 10:00 PM

Fr. Oliver Buba, the Catholic Priest who was abducted on May 21 in the Catholic Diocese of Yola in Nigeria and later released unharmed has described his 10-day ordeal in the hands of his abductors as “a terrible experience.”

In a Monday, June 3 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Buba recounted spending days with people who derived happiness by inflicting pain on him.

“If you have never been held in captivity, you will never know the importance of freedom. It was a terrible experience because these people don't have respect for you,” Fr. Buba said.

He added, “The abductors do everything to inflict pain on you and they are happy to see you in pain.”

“The bottom line is that they will tell you all they need is money. They were so blunt to tell you that they won't kill you that all they want is money,” 

Those who abducted Fr. Buba wanted money, the priest narrated, and added, “They kept bargaining for our ransom as if they were bargaining for cows. They kept bargaining over my life for the 10 days.”

The member of the Clergy of Nigeria’s Yola Diocese further recounted that his abductors got tired of keeping him in their captivity and agreed to an undisclosed ransom which was paid by his parish and some of his friends.

Fr. Buba further recounted that the parish secretary who delivered the ransom was also held captive for two days. “They accused him of speaking rudely to them on the phone during the negotiations. Both of us were released around nine o’clock on Thursday 30 May 2024,” he said.

According to Fr. Buba, the people behind the kidnappings of priests and seminarians in Nigeria are Fulani bandits. He said, “They are no longer hiding their identity. I interacted with them and all they ever wanted was to make money from the kidnappings.”

Nigeria has been battling with a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs, whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and in some cases, killing.

Boko Haram insurgency has been a major challenge in the country since 2009, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa's most populous nation into an Islamic nation.

The latest abduction and release of Fr. Oliver follows a series of other kidnappings that have targeted members of the Clergy in Africa’s most populous nation.