CISA
BAUCHI, APRIL 8, 2025 (CISA)- Tributes have continued to pour in following the sudden death of Nigerian priest, Fr John Simon Tanko, aged 47, who passed away from cardiac arrest while on holiday in Nigeria. Fr Tanko, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Bauchi, Nigeria, had served for seven years in Kenya under the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, most recently as the parish priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish in the Bangladesh area of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa. His lifeless body was discovered on the morning of Sunday, February 23, as parishioners waited for him to celebrate Holy Mass.
“Fr Tanko was a bridge that carried the gospel to the marginalised people of Kenya,” said Fr Cletus Ikpa, Vicar General for Administration in the Diocese of Bauchi, during the funeral Mass held on Friday, February 28, at St. John’s Cathedral in Bauchi. He praised Fr Tanko as someone who “dedicated his life and ministry to the smallest and most profound acts of kindness” and reminded mourners that the priest had touched lives through his missionary calling. Fr Tanko had worked in Bangladesh, one of Mombasa’s poorest slums, where the latest data indicates that around 23.6% of residents live below the poverty line, and between 22.7% and 24.5% face high living costs, food insecurity, and depend on menial labor.
Fr Ikpa confirmed that Fr Tanko died of a heart attack while visiting Jalingo, Taraba State. Offering condolences to his grieving family, he described the priest as the embodiment of “love, peace, service, compassion, and dedication,” adding that his trademark smile would remain a lasting memory. In a deeply personal tribute, Fr Gregory Nbashi of the Diocese of Jalingo and Tanko’s classmate and host at St. Monica’s Rectory in Mayo Dasa, recalled their final moments together.
“On Sunday morning [February 23], we all woke up and exchanged pleasantries. I left for 6:00 a.m. Mass. You said you’d leave for 7:00 a.m. Mass at the Minor Seminary by 6:30 a.m. ‘Man proposes but God disposes,’ they say. I never knew that would be my last communication with you.”
Fr Nbashi shared that he had assigned the Mass to Fr Tanko that morning, “But God said you were not taking it; He said, come home to the heavenly banquet He has prepared for you.” He described the loss as devastating and promised to remember his friend always at the altar of the Lord.
Fr Andrew Batare, another classmate and currently a fide donum priest serving in the Diocese of Westminster, London, shared his memories of their long friendship. “I have known him for 28 years. We journeyed together—we were the first set to be taken in 1997 under the then Bauchi Vicariate by the late Bishop John Moore and the late Vocations Director, Fr. Amos Nyangu,” he said.
Recalling their seminary days and holidays spent together, he added, “His parents were nice. He was at St. Francis, Railway, while I was at Our Lady of Loretto.” He described Tanko’s passing as a rude shock.
Offering a heartfelt tribute on behalf of their seminary classmates, Fr. Moses Angyian of the Diocese of Wukari remarked, “Our hearts ache in sadness and grief as we reflect on the profound impact you had on our lives. You were more than a classmate—you were a friend, a brother, and a priest.” He described Fr Tanko as a man “full of life” and with “an incredible spirit that brings joy to others,” emphasizing that he reminded all who met him “of the beauty in our shared humanity.”
Earlier, the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, where Fr Tanko had served as a volunteer priest, released a statement expressing “sadness” at his sudden passing. They extended “sincere sympathy to his family, his parishioners, his diocesan colleagues in Bauchi, and his colleagues in Mombasa.” Fr. Emmanuel Likoko, a fellow member of the society, remembered Tanko as “a selfless and devoted priest” whose “compassionate heart touched many lives” and whose work in Bangladesh reflected a deep commitment to the Gospel.
Fr Sunday Yunana Waraka, a close friend for over 20 years, reflected on Fr Tanko’s ministry abroad, describing it as “a testament to your unwavering commitment to serving the marginalised and vulnerable.” Waraka noted that his late friend had left “an indelible mark” on countless lives, and highlighted his role as a spiritual director, counselor, and healer. “You embodied the essence of Christ’s love and care,” he said, stressing that Tanko’s “remarkable gift of holistic healing” reached beyond the physical to tend to emotional and spiritual wounds.
A parishioner of St. Patrick’s Parish, Bangladesh, Phoebe Ondiek, described Fr Tanko as “a man of boundless kindness and an unwaveringly good heart.” She recalled how he treated everyone with dignity and warmth, regardless of their background. “He was a man of few words but full of warmth and deep understanding,” she said, adding, “His resilience made him special as a priest who connected with everyone—children, women, and youths.” Ondiek declared that the world had lost an incredible man, but that his spirit would forever live on in the hearts of those he touched. “He was full of life and energy. He will be profoundly missed—never forgotten.”
Fr Gideon Lengkitda Goma, Tanko’s missionary companion on the East African mission and current parish priest of Holy Family Parish, Kanamkemer, Lodwar, described the death as a tremendous shock to his family, the Diocese of Bauchi, the Bangladesh community, and the St. Patrick’s Fathers. “Your death is so painful, and the sorrow is severe. I am only left with memories,” he said. “You bowed out of the mission so early. That was not our plan—till we meet again at the resurrection.”
Before his overseas mission, Fr Tanko served in various capacities in Bauchi Diocese, including as Financial Administrator, Parish Priest of Divine Mercy, Boi, and St. Francis, Railway, as well as Administrator of St. John’s Cathedral, Bauchi, where he had been ordained 18 years earlier and where his funeral Mass—the Nunc Dimittis—was held. Born on February 29, 1978, Fr. Tanko was the first Catholic priest from Tapshin under Tafawa-Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State in North-Eastern Nigeria. He is survived by his aged parents, six siblings, and numerous relatives.
This story has been adapted by CISA News from an original publication by The Catholic Herald Weekly–Nigeria on April 1, 2025. The late Fr. John Simon Tanko was a Nigerian Fidei Donum priest affiliated with the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society (Kiltegan Fathers), serving at St. Patrick’s Parish in the Bangladesh area of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya.
