A Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Massachusetts, United States, has died after being instructed to leave the country and return to Nigeria, where he had reportedly expressed fears for his safety.
Drivetvnews gathered that the Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, 54, passed away on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, according to the Archdiocese of Boston. He had worked as a hospital chaplain and parish priest on Cape Ann since 2021.
His religious worker visa was set to expire on July 29, but his home Diocese of Abakaliki reportedly directed him to return to Nigeria before that date to assume a new assignment scheduled for August 4.
Reports indicated that Madu had repeatedly stated he did not wish to return. In a farewell message published on his parish’s website and during remarks to parishioners, he explained that leaving the United States was not his personal decision but was due to circumstances beyond his control.
According to the Boston Globe, Madu experienced a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass just days before his death and was treated at a hospital.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning later informed fellow priests in an internal email that the priest had died by suicide, although the Archdiocese’s public statement announcing his death did not specify the cause.
Authorities in Massachusetts confirmed that the death remains under investigation, adding that there was no indication of foul play.
Meanwhile, the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition said Madu had experienced severe emotional distress over the possibility of returning to Nigeria, where Catholic clergy have increasingly faced kidnappings and violent attacks. The group also linked his situation to restrictions affecting the renewal of his US religious worker visa.
Born on May 15, 1972, in Nigeria, Madu was ordained at St. Theresa Cathedral in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. He had served in the Archdiocese of Boston for nearly six years under successive R-1 religious worker visas and would have celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest on July 7.
Archdiocese spokesperson Terrence Donilon reportedly said there was no legal avenue to extend Madu’s visa under current US immigration policies affecting Nigeria.
Following his death, members of his parish said they had appealed to political leaders to help him remain in the United States.
The US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition has since called on American authorities to suspend deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status to eligible Nigerian nationals residing in the country.
