Nigerian priest Rev. Alphonsus Afina, recently returned from the U.S., was abducted by Boko Haram along with other travelers in Borno State during an ambush near Gwoza.

A Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently completed a mission in the United States has been abducted by extremists along with several other travelers in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, according to the Catholic Church.

The Rev. Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on June 1 near the town of Gwoza, located close to Nigeria’s border with Cameroon. His abduction was carried out by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of the Diocese of Maiduguri told The Associated Press on Sunday.

According to Bishop Bakeni, he was able to speak briefly with Rev. Afina via phone the day after the kidnapping. Despite being fatigued from trekking, Afina was described as “sounding OK” and “in good spirits” during their short conversation.

Rev. Afina had been traveling from the city of Mubi, where he is currently stationed, to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, to attend a workshop. While awaiting clearance at a military checkpoint, his convoy was ambushed by armed militants. A rocket-propelled grenade reportedly struck one of the vehicles in the convoy, killing one individual and injuring several others, the bishop said.

Bishop Bakeni noted that it is not clear whether the priest was specifically targeted in the attack, as many travelers were caught up in the ambush. He confirmed that others were also kidnapped, although the exact number of abducted individuals remains uncertain.

As of the time of reporting, Nigerian authorities have not issued a public statement regarding the abductions and have not responded to inquiries for comment.

Rev. Robert Fath, the vicar general of the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska, told the Anchorage Daily News on Thursday that he had received a direct phone call from Boko Haram confirming that they were holding Rev. Afina.

Rev. Afina had served in Alaska from 2017 until 2024 before returning to Nigeria. He currently works with the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, a Catholic social justice organization that promotes human rights and development initiatives.

Nigeria continues to grapple with rising violence across its northern and central regions, where extremist groups like Boko Haram routinely launch attacks on rural communities. These attacks often result in mass casualties and the abduction of residents for ransom.

Clerics and religious figures have not been spared in these assaults. In March, another Catholic priest in central Nigeria was kidnapped and later killed by unidentified gunmen.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s most notorious Islamist militant group, began its insurgency in 2009 with a campaign against Western-style education and a goal to establish its own version of Islamic rule. The resulting conflict has spread beyond Nigeria's borders to affect neighboring countries in the Lake Chad Basin. According to the United Nations, the insurgency has caused the deaths of approximately 35,000 civilians and displaced more than 2 million people.