Faith in the Face of D£ath: How Michael Nnadi Preached Christ to His K!llers
Faith in the Face of Death: How Michael Nnadi Preached Christ to His Killers
It was a dark February morning—February 1, 2020—when Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the revered Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, broke the hèartbrèaking news: the lifèless body of 18-year-old Michael Nnadi, the youngest of the four seminarians @bducted weeks earlier, had been found.
Michael was among four young men kidnàpped on the night of January 8, 2020, when @rmed men stormed the Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Kaduna, northwestern Nigeria. While his three companions would later regain their freedom, Michael’s journey endèd in m@rtyrdom—his light snuffèd out by the very darkness he tried to enlighten.
The man behind this hein0us act, Mustapha Mohammed, was eventually captured. In his chilling confession, he revealed what sealed Michael’s fate: “He continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us,” the klller said.
Even in c@ptivity, surrounded by gùns, feàr, and vi0lence, Michael refused to be silent. He told his c@ptors about repentance, forgiveness, and the love of Christ. His words—gentle yet piercing—became unbearable to men who had long shut their hearts to God.
Bishop Kukah, recounting the harrowing discovery of the kllllers, said, “On April 25, 2020, I received a call from Fr. Francis Agba of the Good Shepherd Seminary. He told me a special police squad from Abuja had arrived with one of the kidn@ppers. I held my breath, shocked.”
The arrested man, a 26-year-old from a g@ng of 45 ruthlèss b@ndits, confessed that they had terr0rized travelers along the Abuja–Kaduna road for years—r0bbing, t0rturing, and kllling with impunìity. And among their countless victìms, the one they remembered most was the young seminarian who “wouldn’t stop telling us to repent.”
Mustapha’s words painted a hàunting picture: “Even though he knew we were Muslims, he kept telling us to change our ways. He wouldn’t stop.”
Michael’s courage in the face of de@th was not his alone. Among the victims of that same g@ng was Mrs. Bolanle Ataga, a woman kidn@pped with her two daughters. Like Michael, she too was klllled—mùrdèred by the g@ng’s leader after resisting his vilè advances.
Two souls—Michael and Bolanle—their stories intertwined in tr@gedy, yet radiant with defiance and purity.
Michael’s de@th pierced the nation’s conscience. An 18-year-old boy, with the tender heart of a future priest, stood firm before @rmed men and met de@th for the sake of the Gospel.
He did not raise his voice in fèar. He did not cursè his capt0rs. He simply kept preaching Jesus—until his last breath.
And in that quiet defiance, Michael Nnadi became a symbol of faith unbroken, a light that even de@th could not extinguish.
We are Ambassadors of peace, we preach love, repentance, and ultimately Salvation in the ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
