Tragedy struck on Wednesday night as armed men attacked the Catholic Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivianokpodi, Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, killing an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and abducting three students.

Naijaonpoint reports that the incident, which occurred around 9:00 p.m. on July 9, also left a member of the local vigilante group with gunshot injuries.

The Director of Social Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Thursday.

Egielewa said, “We are deeply saddened and condemn in the strongest terms this act of violence.

“This is the second time in 10 months that the school has been attacked. Ten months ago, a priest was kidnapped. And now, three seminarians have been abducted, an NSCDC officer is dead, and a local vigilante has sustained injuries.”

Egielewa expressed concern over what he described as a troubling trend of attacks on Catholic institutions within the diocese.

He said, “We call on the government to protect the lives of all those who work in Catholic institutions and our diocese.

“We expect security agencies at the local, state, and federal level to take up this responsibility so that our people can live in peace and safety.”

As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had been released by security agencies regarding the incident.