On 29 July 2026, Rev. Fr. Samuel Opeyemi Oyetoro, a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Lokoja in Nigeria, was brutally murdered.
His body was found by the roadside in Ajaokuta, Kogi State. He had been attacked with a machete and suffered severe wounds, including to the head. The cruelty of the attack is difficult to put into words. A priest — a man who had given his life to serve Christ and His people — was cut down in this savage way and left on the side of the road.
Fr. Samuel was serving the faithful in Kogi State. He is one more name in a long and growing list of Catholic priests who have been kidnapped, attacked, or killed in Nigeria in recent years.
What makes this even more painful is the silence. In Norway, the mainstream media has barely mentioned his death — if at all. While other tragedies around the world receive extensive coverage, the ongoing killing of Christians and priests in Nigeria is largely ignored.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria continues to suffer. Priests are targeted, communities are attacked, and churches are destroyed. Yet the response from much of the Western media and many governments remains weak.
We must not look away.
Let us pray for the soul of Fr. Samuel Opeyemi Oyetoro.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
And let us also pray for the persecuted Church in Nigeria — for the bishops, priests, religious, and faithful who continue to bear witness to Christ in the midst of violence.