A Nigerian Catholic priest, Father Luke Mewhenu Adeleke, has been shot dead.
Adeleke was killed as he returned home in Abeokuta, Ogun State, South West Nigeria, after leading a mass on Christmas Eve, according to a report by Nigeria Catholic Network (NCN).
He has since been buried at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Abeokuta.
NCN said Adeleke. 37, was driving in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state when unknown gunmen shot him in his legs.
He was said to have died from the wound having lost “a lot of blood.”
The Association for Catholic Information in Africa said the killing of Adeleke increases “the concerns Christian leaders in Africa’s most populous nation have been expressing about security in the country that seems to target followers of Jesus Christ.”
Christians in Nigeria have in the recent years faced increasing persecution, especially in the northern part of the country where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have killed many of them and millions displaced.
Besides, many Christians in the north central part of the country have been mowed down by Fulani herdsmen who invaded their farms and communities.
Nigeria is increasingly becoming one of the countries in the world where it is difficult to practise Christianity.
According to the International Christian Centre (ICC), “Nigeria is one of the deadliest places on earth for Christians, as 50,000 to 70,000 have been killed since 2000.”
U.S-based Christian watchdog group, Open Doors, ranked Nigeria in 2020 as the 9th worst country where Christians are most persecuted.
The United State Government had in November removed Nigeria from its list of “Countries of Particular Concern.” The CPC is a designation reserved for the countries that tolerate or engage in the worst violation of religious freedom. Nigeria was added to the list in December 2020 during the Trump administration.
The action was however trailed by criticism from those who said the country did not deserve exclusion from the list now.