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Roman Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri

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Diocese of Maiduguri
Dioecesis Maiduguriensis
Location
Country Nigeria
Territory Borno State
Ecclesiastical province Jos
Metropolitan Jos
Coordinates 11°50′47″N 13°09′36″E / 11.84639°N 13.16000°E
Statistics
Area 132,000[1] km2 (51,000 sq mi)
Population
Total
Catholics 		(as of 2022)
7,250,000[2]
226,000[2] (3.1%)
Parishes 43[2]
Information
Denomination Catholic Church
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established June 7, 1966
Cathedral Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Maiduguri
Secular priests 65[2]
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme
Auxiliary Bishops John Bogna Bakeni
Vicar General Donatus Tizhe (Administration)
John William (Pastoral)[3]
Map
Maiduguri is in Borno State shown in red

Roman Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri — The Diocese of Maiduguri (Latin: Dioecesis Maiduguriensis[4]) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Maiduguri in the ecclesiastical province of Jos in Nigeria.

History

  • June 29, 1953: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Maiduguri from Apostolic Prefecture of Jos
  • June 7, 1966: Promoted as Diocese of Maiduguri

Special churches

The Cathedral is St Patrick's Cathedral in Maiduguri.

Bishops

  • Prefects Apostolic of Maiduguri (Roman rite)
    • Father James Timothy Kieran Cotter, O.S.A. (1962.07.05 – 1966.06.07 see below)
  • Bishops of Maiduguri (Roman rite)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishop

Persecution and insecurity

Maiduguri was the diocese that suffered most from Boko Haram, having endured close to a decade of fierce persecution. Since 2020, however, the terrorist group has not carried out significant attacks in Maiduguri, a fact that Bishop Oliver Doeme attributes to divine intervention, in response to a Rosary prayer campaign he began after having a vision in which the Virgin Mary handed him a sword which turned into a Rosary. "The war was won on bended knee", he told journalists during a conference organised by Aid to the Church in Need, in July 2022.

In the same conference he explained that his region of Nigeria is now relatively peaceful. "To a large extent we can say that the north-eastern part of the country is more peaceful than other parts, because Nigeria is now in crisis, and we are experiencing a lot of evil forces in our country. You have the Fulani herdsmen attacking Christian communities, you have the bandits attacking communities and taking people away. The church is not spared. In different parts of the north, priests have been killed. So, the crisis may be subsiding in the northeast, but not in other parts of the north and even in the south."[5]

On 1 June 2025 Fr Alphonsuns Afina was kidnapped by members of Boko Haram–Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP),[6] he spent almost two months in the hands of his kidnappers, before being released on 27 July.[7]

See also

Canonical status and jurisdiction

Roman Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[8]

References

  1. Back to citation "Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria". GCatholic.org. 14 April 2023.
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 "Maiduguri (Diocese)". Annuario Pontificio. 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023 – via Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  3. Back to citation "Maiduguri Diocese". Nigeria Catholic Network. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. Back to citation "Maiduguri (Diocese)". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  5. Back to citation "Nigeria: "We have never experienced what we are experiencing now", says Bishop of Maiduguri". ACN International. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. Back to citation d'Avillez, Filipe (2025-06-05). "Bishop calls for prayers as priest is kidnapped by jihadists in Nigeria". ACN International. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  7. Back to citation Raffray, Nathalie (2025-08-07). ""They beat me, but I thank God I survived," says priest kidnapped by jihadists". ACN International. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  8. Back to citation Wikidata item Q871693
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