Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers stormed St Joseph Catholic Church in Enugu State on Sunday, August 2, 2026, abducting a seminarian and two worshippers during morning Mass, an attack that has reignited national debate over insecurity and drawn attention to a recent clash between the Presidency and a prominent Catholic cardinal.
Attack During Sunday Mass
The incident occurred at St Joseph Catholic Church in Inoyi, Affa community, Udi Local Government Area, as worshippers gathered for the Sunday service. Witnesses reported that armed men entered the church during the Mass and seized three people: seminarian Lawrence Chidera Igbo, the church catechist, and another worshipper identified only as Emmanuel. The attackers then fled towards a nearby bush with their captives, according to accounts from the scene.
Enugu State Police Command spokesperson, Superintendent of Police Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed that a joint security operation was launched immediately, involving police officers, forest guards, and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group. As security personnel closed in, the gunmen abandoned one of the victims, who was rescued without injury. However, they escaped with the seminarian and the other worshipper, leaving the community in distress.
Community Response and Video Evidence
A video circulating on social media, purportedly recorded shortly after the attack, captured residents describing the chaos. In the footage, a man who claimed to have witnessed the incident but did not identify himself said the attack happened as worshippers prepared for Mass amid rainfall. "Rain was falling while we prepared for church. What we saw was that a crowd of people ran towards us, saying that our seminarian and other worshippers had been abducted from the church," he said.
Residents also said they initially tried to pursue the gunmen but retreated after coming under gunfire. "The kidnappers were seven and all had AK-47 rifles. But we retreated because we had no weapons. Should we pursue armed kidnappers empty-handed?" one resident asked in the video. Another added, "We no longer feel safe in our community because of kidnappers. When we began combing the bushes, they were firing shots at us and we ran because we had no guns."
The video, shared by lawyer Aloy Ejimakor on Twitter, showed residents pleading for weapons to defend themselves. One resident appealed directly to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah: "We have able-bodied youths and even vigilante members, but they need to be equipped to work. We are begging Peter Mbah to help us."
Security Operation Underway
Commissioner of Police Mamman Bitrus Giwa has ordered the Oji River Area Commander and the head of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining victims and arrest the attackers. As of the latest reports, security agencies are still combing the area, but no further details have been released about the whereabouts of the abducted seminarian and worshipper.
The attack has renewed public concern about insecurity in Nigeria, particularly in the South East region, where kidnappings for ransom have become a recurring challenge. According to data from the Nigeria Security Tracker, over 1,000 kidnappings were reported in the region in the past year, with many victims being clerics and worshippers.
Context: Presidency and Cardinal Onaiyekan Clash
The timing of the Enugu attack has drawn wider attention because it came shortly after a public disagreement between the Presidency and John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja. Onaiyekan was part of a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) delegation that met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on July 28. The delegation, led by conference president Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, presented concerns about insecurity, poverty, economic hardship, education, and the state of Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking during an Arise Television interview days later, Onaiyekan said the President disagreed with the bishops’ assessment and maintained that the country was making progress. "We told him the nation is bleeding. He said the nation is not bleeding. We told him the economy is not helping the poor. He said economy is doing fine," the cardinal said. He added, "When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the head of state."
His comments drew a sharp response from presidential aides. Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, accused Onaiyekan of improperly disclosing details of a private meeting, describing it as an "abuse of clerical privilege." Ajayi argued that the bishops’ assessment represented one perspective and said Tinubu had responded to their concerns with evidence of economic, social, and security improvements. Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication Daniel Bwala also accused the cardinal of allowing politics to shape his intervention.
Public Reaction and Impact
The church attack has since brought the bishops’ security warning back into the national conversation. Some social media users described the timing as a grim illustration of the insecurity the clerics had raised with the President. However, there is no evidence connecting the Presidency’s disagreement with Onaiyekan to the attack. The two events are linked only by timing and the wider public debate they have generated.
For residents of Affa, the immediate concern remains the safe return of the abducted seminarian and worshipper as security agencies continue their search. The incident has also sparked calls for better equipping of local vigilante groups and community policing efforts to address the growing threat of kidnappings in the region.
