Nigerian Priest, Rev. Benjamin Okwy Madu, Dies by Suicide After Being Asked to Return to Nigeria From the US

A Nigerian Catholic priest, Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu, has died at the age of 54.

According to the Archdiocese of Boston, Rev. Madu died on July 2 at his residence in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, where he had served as a hospital chaplain and parish priest on Cape Ann since 2021.

Reports indicate that his religious worker visa was due to expire on July 29. His home Diocese of Abakaliki had reportedly instructed him to return to Nigeria ahead of a new assignment scheduled to begin on August 4, 2026.

According to reports, Rev. Madu had expressed that returning to Nigeria was not his personal wish. In remarks to parishioners and in a farewell message posted on his parish’s website days before his death, he wrote that although he did not want to leave the United States, “circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end.”

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

In an internal email to fellow priests, Boston Archbishop Richard Henning reportedly stated that Rev. Madu had died by suicide. However, the Archdiocese of Boston’s public statement announcing his death did not specify the cause of death.