Worldwide Persecution of Christians
In the middle of the night, with their rectory under terrorist attack, Catholic priests Isaac Achi and Collins Omeh heard each other’s confessions. The two had been awakened at 3:00 a.m. by sounds of assailants trying to break in to their parish residence at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in northern Nigeria. After the absolutions, Father Achi urged his associate pastor to flee.
When the criminals’ break-in attempts failed, they set the building ablaze. Father Omeh managed to escape and survived being shot from behind. Unfortunately, Father Achi succumbed to the flames. Emergency crews found his remains among the charred rubble of the building.
A fellow cleric, Father Ugochukwu Ugwoke, recounted the tragedy on Twitter in January. Business Day identified Father Achi as the same priest who escaped a bomb blast on Christmas Day in 2011 at Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla. The explosion killed 44 of his parishioners and left seven others blind.
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