Nigerian Catholic Priest Dies By Suicide After Order To Return Home

A Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Massachusetts, United States, has died after reportedly taking his own life, days before he was expected to return to Nigeria, where he had repeatedly expressed fears for his safety.

The Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, 54, was found dead on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts.

He had been serving as a hospital chaplain and parish priest in the Archdiocese of Boston since 2021.

His R-1 religious worker visa was due to expire on July 29.

Before then, however, his home Diocese of Abakaliki had directed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled to begin on August 4.

According to the Boston Globe, Madu had repeatedly said he did not want to return to Nigeria.

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 decision but was due to circumstances beyond his control.

The newspaper also reported that he suffered a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass on the Sunday before his death and was later treated at a hospital emergency department.

Boston Archbishop Richard Henning informed fellow priests in an internal email that Madu had “tragically took his own life,” according to the National Catholic Register.

However, the Archdiocese of Boston’s public statement announcing his death did not specify the cause.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said the Massachusetts State Police were investigating the incident, adding that there was no indication of foul play.

Reacting to the incident, the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition said Madu had experienced severe emotional distress over the prospect of returning to Nigeria, where Catholic priests have increasingly faced kidnappings and violent attacks.

The coalition also linked his distress to the inability to renew his visa under current US immigration restrictions.

“The terrifying reality of these rigid restrictions was made plain on July 2, 2026, when Father Benjamin Okwy Madu, a beloved 54-year-old Nigerian Catholic priest serving the North Shore of Massachusetts, tragically took his own life,” the group said in a statement.

Madu was born on May 15, 1972, in Nigeria and was ordained a Catholic priest at St Theresa Cathedral, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

He spent nearly six years serving in the Archdiocese of Boston under successive R-1 religious worker visas.

He would have celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination on July 7, five days after his death.

According to the Boston Globe, Archdiocese spokesperson Terrence Donilon said there was no provision to extend Madu’s visa because of current US immigration policy affecting Nigerians.

Parishioners said the priest had openly spoken about his fears of returning to Nigeria due to persistent insecurity and attacks on Catholic clergy.

One parishioner, Arlene Lesch of Holy Family Church, said she and others appealed to political leaders in an effort to help Madu remain in the United States.

Following his death, the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition urged American authorities to suspend deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status to Nigerian nationals residing in the country.

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