A Nigerian Catholic priest serving in the United States has died by suicide after reportedly expressing fears about returning to Nigeria following the expiry of his religious worker visa.
The Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, 54, was found dead at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, according to the Archdiocese of Boston, where he had served as a hospital chaplain and parish priest for nearly six years.
His death came days after he was instructed to leave the United States and return to Nigeria, where he was due to begin a new assignment on August 4.
According to the Boston Globe, Madu’s R-1 religious worker visa was set to expire at the end of the month. His home Diocese of Abakaliki had reportedly directed him to return before the visa deadline, despite his repeated concerns about going back.
In a farewell message posted on his parish’s website shortly before his death, Madu acknowledged that leaving the United States was not his choice.
“Returning home is not my wish, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end,” he wrote.
Parishioners also recalled that Madu had openly spoken about his fears of returning to Nigeria, citing insecurity and attacks on Catholic clergy.
The Boston Globe reported that he suffered a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass on the Sunday before his death and was treated at a hospital emergency department.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning later informed fellow priests that Madu had “tragically took his own life,” according to an internal email obtained by the National Catholic Register. However, the Archdiocese’s public statement announcing his death did not specify suicide as the cause.
The Essex County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that the Massachusetts State Police are investigating the death, adding that foul play is not suspected.
Reacting to the incident, the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition said Madu experienced severe emotional distress over the prospect of returning to a region where Catholic priests continue to face kidnappings and deadly attacks.
“The terrifying reality of these rigid restrictions was made plain early this month 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 coalition said in a statement.
The coalition also argued that the suspension of visa renewal opportunities under current US immigration policies contributed to the circumstances surrounding his death.
Archdiocese spokesperson Terrence Donilon told the Boston Globe there was no legal avenue to extend Madu’s visa under existing US immigration policy affecting Nigerian religious workers.
Madu, who was born on May 15, 1972, in Nigeria, was ordained at St Theresa Cathedral in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. He would have celebrated his 25th anniversary as a Catholic priest later this month.
Following his death, the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition urged American authorities to halt deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status to eligible Nigerian nationals residing in the United States.
