Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A Nigerian Catholic priest, Reverend Father Benjamin Okwy Madu, has committed suicide in the United Stares.
He was aged of 54.
The priest was said to have taken his own life death in Massachusetts, United States, weeks before he was scheduled to return to Nigeria following the expiration of his religious worker visa.
Madu, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, was found dead on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts.
According to NBC News, a person familiar with the matter said the cleric died by suicide.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed the cause of death, but the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said foul play is not suspected.
An autopsy was expected to be conducted as officials worked to contact his relatives in Nigeria.
The priest had been serving as a chaplain at Salem Hospital since 2021 and also ministered at St. Ann’s and Our Lady of Good Voyage in Gloucester, as well as St. Joachim’s in Rockport.
His death came shortly before the expiration of his R-1 religious worker visa on July 29. Church officials said his home diocese had directed him to return to Nigeria earlier in July, ahead of the original timeline. Under U.S. immigration rules, he was required to leave the country before seeking a visa renewal.
In a farewell message published on his parish website last month, Madu expressed sadness over his departure, writing: “Sincerely, it is not my wish to return home right now, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end. My heart is broken, yet my joy remains.”
He also told parishioners he hoped to return in the future and continue his ministry in the community he had grown to cherish.
Announcing his death, Father Jim Achadinha described the development as a “devastating loss,” saying Madu “served Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish with true joy, kindness, and generosity.”
Archbishop Richard Henning of the Archdiocese of Boston also paid tribute to the late priest, stating: “Our prayers and heartfelt condolences to his family, brother priests and friends in Nigeria as well as the many people Fr. Benjamin Madu ministered to here in Cape Ann and at Salem Hospital.”
Tuesday would have marked the 25th anniversary of Madu’s ordination to the priesthood at St. Theresa Cathedral in Abakaliki.
The Diocese of Abakaliki had not issued a public statement on his death as of the time of reporting.
