Fr. Bobbo Paschal was kidnapped on Monday, November 17, when gunmen attacked St. Stephen Parish of Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, where he serves as parish priest.

In a statement, the Chancellor of the Nigerian Metropolitan See says Fr. Paschal was abducted in the early hours of Monday, November 17, from his residence.

“During the attack, many others were abducted, and the brother of Fr. Anthony Yero was killed,” Fr. Christian Okewu Emmanuel says.

Referring to those kidnapped during the attack, Fr. Okewu calls upon “all men and women of goodwill to join us in praying for their safety and quick release from the hands of their abductors, and for the peaceful repose of the dead. Amen.”

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 insecurity situation in many other parts of the country has further been complicated by the involvement of the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia.

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

In July, three minor Seminarians were abducted during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Auchi. All three endured months of torture despite pleas with abductors and the paying of ransoms.

Two of the Seminarians later regained their freedom, while the third died in captivity.

The U.S President, Donald Trump, recently designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a move that the Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, has said accords national leaders of the West African nation an opportunity for international collaboration rather than an act of hostility.

“Anyone who can support us with equipment and help our soldiers in their war against bandits should be encouraged. That is what Trump wants for our country,” Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku told ACI Africa on November 7, on the sidelines of the Veritas University’s 14th convocation lecture.