A 54-year-old Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Benjamin Okwy Madu, has died by suicide in Massachusetts, United States, days after he was directed to leave the country and return to Nigeria, where he had reportedly expressed fears for his safety.
Rev. Madu died on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, according to the Archdiocese of Boston, where he had served as a hospital chaplain and parish priest since 2021. His religious worker visa was due to expire on July 29, but his home Diocese of Abakaliki had instructed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled for August 4.
According to reports, the priest had repeatedly expressed that he did not want to return to Nigeria. In a farewell message to parishioners, he said his departure was not by choice but was due to circumstances beyond his control.
Days before his death, Rev. Madu reportedly suffered a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass and was treated at a hospital emergency room.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning later informed fellow priests that Rev. Madu died by suicide, although the Archdiocese’s initial public statement announcing his death did not disclose the cause.
A US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition alleged that the priest experienced severe emotional distress over the prospect of returning to a region where Catholic clergy have been targeted by kidnappers and attackers. The group also linked his inability to renew his US religious worker visa to current immigration policies.
Following his death, the coalition called on US authorities to halt deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Nigerian nationals living in the United States.
