Born in Goma in 1981, Floribert was killed at 26 for refusing corruption. Beatified in Rome on 15 June 2025, he is the first African martyr killed because of corruption — and the patron of Sant'Egidio Nigeria's new house in Abuja.
On 15 June 2025, Floribert Bwana Chui was beatified at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome — becoming the first blessed of the Community of Sant'Egidio, and the first African martyr killed because of corruption. His feast day is 8 July.
A Life Given to the Poor
Floribert Bwana Chui was born in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 13 June 1981. He was the eldest of 12 children. His encounter with the Community of Sant'Egidio in 2001 transformed him — he began serving the maibobo, the street children of Goma, funding their education from his own income and animating a community of young people in common prayer and service.
"Floribert lived a family life committed to street children, driven to Goma by war, despised and orphaned. He loved them with Christ's charity: he was interested in them and concerned with their human and Christian formation."
Martyr of Honesty
After studying law and working briefly in Kinshasa's customs department, Floribert returned to Goma to be close to the children he loved. Assigned to the Rwanda border — one of the most perilous posts in the region — he was faced with a choice: approve a shipment of spoiled rice that could endanger public health, or refuse and face the consequences. He refused.
On 7 July 2007, Floribert was kidnapped as he left a shop. Two days later, his body was found. He was 26 years old. The autopsy confirmed he had died on 8 July — the day now commemorated as his liturgical feast.
A Saint for Africa and for Nigeria
Pope Leo XIV, addressing pilgrims after the beatification, called Floribert "a leaven for disarmed and disarming peace" — a model for young Africans who choose integrity over corruption, life over fear. The Community of Sant'Egidio Nigeria has dedicated its new national house in Abuja to his memory.
