A Nigerian Catholic priest, Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, has reportedly died by suicide in the United States after being directed to return to Nigeria despite repeatedly expressing fears for his safety if forced to come back.

Madu, 54, died on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, where he had served as a hospital chaplain and parish priest under the Archdiocese of Boston since 2021. His death came weeks before the expiration of his R-1 religious worker visa on July 29.

According to reports by the Boston Globe, the priest’s home Diocese of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State had instructed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled for August 4, despite his reluctance to leave the United States.

In a farewell message published on his parish’s website shortly before his death, Madu acknowledged that his departure was not voluntary.

He wrote that returning to Nigeria “was not my wish, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end.”

Parishioners also recalled that the priest had openly spoken about his fears of returning to Nigeria, where Catholic clergy have increasingly become targets of kidnappings and deadly attacks.

The Boston Globe reported that Madu suffered a panic attack while driving to celebrate Mass on the Sunday before his death and was treated at a hospital emergency department before being discharged.

The circumstances surrounding his death became clearer after Boston Archbishop Richard Henning informed fellow priests in an internal email that Madu had “tragically took his own life,” according to correspondence cited by the National Catholic Register. The Archdiocese’s public statement announcing his death, however, did not specify suicide as the cause.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that the Massachusetts State Police are investigating the incident, although authorities said there is no suspicion of foul play.

Meanwhile, the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition has linked the priest’s death to emotional trauma triggered by the prospect of returning to Nigeria and the inability to secure another visa under current US immigration policies.

In a statement made available to journalists, including PUNCH Online, the coalition said Madu “suffered acute emotional distress and panic over the prospect of returning to a region where Catholic clergy are actively targeted for kidnapping and assassination,” adding that restrictions affecting visa renewals also contributed to the situation.

“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 coalition stated.

Born on May 15, 1972, Madu was ordained at St. Theresa Cathedral in Abakaliki and would have celebrated the 25th anniversary of his priestly ordination on July 7, just five days after his death.

He had ministered in the Archdiocese of Boston for nearly six years under consecutive R-1 religious worker visas. Archdiocese spokesperson Terrence Donilon reportedly said there was no legal pathway to extend the latest visa because of current US immigration policy affecting Nigeria.

His death has also prompted renewed advocacy from diaspora and Christian organisations.

In a joint statement issued this week, the coalition urged the United States government to suspend deportations of Nigerians and grant Temporary Protected Status to eligible Nigerian nationals, arguing that worsening insecurity in parts of Nigeria places vulnerable returnees at significant risk.