The wife and daughter of late Anglican priest, Venerable Edwin Achi, who were abducted alongside him in Kaduna State, have regained their freedom after spending more than two months in the custody of kidnappers.
The release was confirmed on Thursday by FS Yusuf, who announced the development in a brief social media post.
“Late Venerable Edwin Achi’s family (wife and daughter) has been released by kidnappers. God. I’m so happy,” Yusuf wrote.
The development comes weeks after the Anglican Diocese of Kaduna confirmed that Venerable Achi died while in captivity.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the priest and his wife, Sarah Achi, were kidnapped in late October 2025 from their residence in the Nissi community of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The incident reportedly attracted little attention from mainstream media at the time.
The Diocese later announced the priest’s death in a statement signed by the Bishop of Kaduna Diocese, Most Revd Timothy Yahaya.
“With a heavy heart and deep sorrow, the Diocese of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, announces the passing unto glory of Venerable Edwin Achi,” the statement read.
It added that the priest, who was abducted on October 28 alongside his wife, had been confirmed dead, describing his death as a painful loss to the Diocese, clergy and church members. At the time, the church appealed for prayers for the release of his wife and daughter, who were still being held by the abductors.
Following confirmation of his death, the Diocese announced the cancellation of a programme earlier planned in his honour, saying the church had been thrown into mourning.
Sources familiar with the incident had told SaharaReporters that the Priest-in-Charge of Ebenezer Anglican Church, Ungwan Maijero, Kaduna, died while in captivity. Before his death, the kidnappers were said to have demanded a ransom of N600 million and sent images of the priest and his wife to relatives as proof of life.
The images reportedly showed the captives in distress alongside other abducted persons.
As of the time of filing this report, details surrounding the release of Achi’s wife and daughter, including whether any ransom was paid, remain unclear.
