A Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Massachusetts, the Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, has died by suicide days after being directed to leave the United States and return to Nigeria, where he had reportedly expressed fears for his safety.
Rev. Madu, 54, died on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, according to the Archdiocese of Boston, 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, while his home Diocese of Abakaliki had instructed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled for August 4.
According to the Boston Globe, Madu had repeatedly said he did not want to return to Nigeria. In a farewell message posted on his parish’s website and in remarks to parishioners, he said his departure was “not my wish” but was the result of “circumstances beyond my control.”
The newspaper also 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 room.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning later informed fellow priests in an internal email that Madu had “tragically took his own life,” according to the National Catholic Register. However, the Archdiocese’s public statement announcing his death did not specify 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.
The US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition attributed Madu’s emotional distress to fears of returning to a region where Catholic clergy have faced kidnappings and attacks, as well as the inability to renew his visa under current US immigration policies. The group described his death as a tragic consequence of those circumstances.
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 and was due to mark the 25th anniversary of his priestly ordination on July 7, five days after his death.
According to the Boston Globe, Archdiocese spokesperson Terrence Donilon said there was no legal pathway to extend Madu’s visa under existing US immigration rules affecting Nigerian applicants. Parishioners, including Arlene Lesch of Holy Family Church, said they had appealed to political leaders in an unsuccessful effort to help him remain in the United States.
