A Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Massachusetts, United States, has died by suicide after being directed to return to Nigeria following the expiration of his religious worker visa.
The priest, Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, was 54.
The Archdiocese of Boston said Madu died on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, where he had served as a hospital chaplain and parish priest since 2021. His R-1 religious worker visa was due to expire on July 29.
Reports by the Boston Globe stated that his home Diocese of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State had instructed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled to begin on August 4.
Madu had publicly expressed his reluctance to return. In remarks to parishioners and in a farewell message posted on his parish's website shortly before his death, he said returning to Nigeria was not his choice but that circumstances beyond his control had brought his time in the United States to an end.
According to a parishioner quoted by the Boston Globe, Madu suffered a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass on the Sunday before his death and was treated at a hospital emergency room.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning informed fellow priests in an internal email that Madu had died by suicide. The National Catholic Register reported seeing a copy of the message. The Archdiocese's public statement announcing his death did not disclose the cause.
The Essex County District Attorney's Office confirmed that the Massachusetts State Police are investigating the death and said there is no indication of foul play.
The US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition, a group of Nigerian diaspora and Christian advocacy organisations, said Madu experienced severe emotional distress over the prospect of returning to Nigeria. The coalition cited concerns about insecurity affecting Catholic clergy in parts of the country and restrictions affecting visa renewals for Nigerians in the United States.
In a statement released this week, the coalition said Madu feared returning to a region where Catholic priests have been victims of kidnappings and killings in recent years.
Born on May 15, 1972, Madu was ordained at St. Theresa Cathedral in Abakaliki and would have celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest on July 7, five days after his death.
He had worked in the Archdiocese of Boston for nearly six years under consecutive religious worker visas. An Archdiocese spokesperson, Terrence Donilon, told the Boston Globe that there was no available pathway to extend his visa under current US immigration policies affecting Nigeria.
Parishioners had reportedly appealed to political leaders in an effort to allow Madu to remain in the United States.
The coalition has called on US authorities to suspend deportations of Nigerians and consider granting Temporary Protected Status to Nigerian nationals currently living in the country.
