By Chucks Okafor
A Nigerian Catholic priest serving in the US state of
Massachusetts has died by suicide after being instructed to return to Nigeria,
where he had previously said he feared for his safety, according to church
officials and media reports.
The Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, 54, was found dead at his
home in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, on 2 July. The Archdiocese of Boston, where
he had worked for several years, confirmed his death but did not initially
state the cause.
However, Boston Archbishop Richard Henning later told fellow
priests in an internal email that Fr Madu had "tragically took his own
life", according to the National Catholic Register, which said it had seen
a copy of the message.
The Essex County District Attorney's Office said the death
remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police. A spokesperson
said there was no indication of foul play.
Fr Madu had been serving as a hospital chaplain and parish
priest on Cape Ann since 2021. His R-1 religious worker visa was due to expire
on 29 July.
According to the Boston Globe, his home Diocese of
Abakaliki in Ebonyi State had instructed him to return to Nigeria before that
date to take up a new pastoral assignment beginning on 4 August.
The newspaper reported that Fr Madu had repeatedly expressed
his reluctance to return. In a farewell message posted on his parish's website
shortly before his death, he told parishioners that leaving the United States
was not his choice, saying "circumstances beyond my control" had
brought his ministry there to an end.
The Boston Globe also reported that the Sunday before
his death, Fr Madu experienced a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass.
A parishioner told the newspaper he was treated in a hospital emergency
department.
The US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition, in a statement sent
to several news organisations linked his death
to anxiety over returning to Nigeria. The group said Fr Madu had experienced
severe emotional distress because he feared going back to a region where
Catholic priests have faced kidnappings and deadly attacks in recent years. It
also argued that restrictions affecting visa renewals contributed to the
situation.
The Archdiocese of Boston's spokesperson, Terrence Donilon,
told the Boston Globe there was no available route to extend Fr Madu's
visa under current US immigration policy affecting Nigeria.
Born on 15 May 1972, Fr Madu was ordained at St Theresa
Cathedral in Abakaliki and had served in the Archdiocese of Boston for almost
six years under successive religious worker visas. He would have celebrated the
25th anniversary of his priestly ordination on 7 July, five days after his
death.
Arlene Lesch, a member of Holy Family Church, told the Boston
Globe that she was among parishioners who appealed to political leaders in
the hope that Fr Madu would be allowed to remain in the United States.
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