“We came back stronger”: Priest, Seminarian Abducted in Nigeria Recall Three-week Ordeal

Fr. Paul, a native of Mali, reiterated Seminarian Melchior’s sentiments, adding, “What we have is faith built on persecution. Everything I experienced while in captivity is what Priesthood entails. Jesus himself tells us that he is sending us out like sheep among wolves. We leave our homes not knowing what will happen to our lives.”

“What we went through is nothing compared to the passion of Jesus. I found great joy uniting my pain with the passion of Jesus,” the Missionary of Africa Priest said.

Fr. Paul and Seminarian Melchior remember being taken away at about 11 p.m. on the day of captivity by a gang of 12 men, who broke into their community in Gyadna village in Nigeria’s Niger State.

“There were five of us in the house and we were just going to bed. The incident happened very fast. First, we heard gunshots and in a matter of minutes, the men had already broken into the house. Three of our brothers managed to escape and the two of us were taken,” Seminarian Melchior recalls, and adds, “We were taken away barefoot and in our sleepwear. We didn’t have any other clothes for the whole time we stayed in captivity.”

The two remember walking for over 100 kilometers and finding themselves in the middle of a thick forest the following day at 6 a.m.

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In the forest were seven other people who had been taken captive, Fr. Paul says, and adds, “We never interacted with the other captives as they were released much sooner.”

“The men wanted money from us. We kept saying that we didn’t have any money. That infuriated them and they constantly beat us. We were in a very big forest and there were no villages nearby. They would give us something to eat and we slept on rocks and on the grass in the open,” Fr. Paul who has been in Nigeria for one and a half years says.

“We were their slaves”, Seminarian Melchior chips in, and adds, “and having no freedom, not having the slightest idea of what they would do to us was troubling at first. We were very happy when one day, they told us ‘You are free. You may go back home.’”

Back at the community, the two found a festive mood. News had been spread across the Congregation, and to their families that their sons were alive and had regained freedom.

When Fr. Paul and Seminarian Melchior spoke to ACI Africa on September 1, they were preparing to travel to their respective countries to spend some days with their families.

The two expressed gratitude to their Congregation for working tirelessly to secure their release and the people of God who prayed for them while in captivity.

They said that they had forgiven their abductors and were praying for their conversion.

“I started praying for the men who abducted us on the day they took us. I kept praying for their conversion so that they may one day realize that what they are doing is not right. I also forgave them a long time ago,” Seminarian Melchior told ACI Africa on September 1.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.