Certainly one of Two Kidnapped Christian Staff Freed in NW Nigeria
Location of Kebbi state in Nigeria. (Himalayan Explorer based mostly on work by Uwe Dedering, Inventive Commons)
ABUJA, Nigeria (Christian Each day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – Certainly one of two Christian employees kidnapped in northwest Nigeria on Might 21 was freed this week, ministry leaders mentioned.
Ojo John and Silvanus Abu of Nupe Missions, who have been working among the many predominantly Muslim Zabarmawa folks of Kebbi state, have been kidnapped from their mission station at about 10 p.m., mentioned Moses Solomon of the Nigeria-based ministry. John, 33, also called Mallam Yahaya, was launched on Monday (Might 26), Solomon mentioned in a prayer discover that day.
“At precisely 8:09 a.m. in the present day, we acquired a name from Sokoto state, it was Mallam Yahaya (Ojo John),” Solomon mentioned. “He’s alive and has been launched, and is at present making his method to security. That is the doing of the Lord, and it’s marvelous in our eyes!”
Silvanus Abu, 26, is also called Mallam Abu.
“Whereas we rejoice with trembling hearts, we stay in pressing prayer for the protected return of Mallam Abu who remains to be in captivity,” Solomon mentioned. “This partial launch provides us hope that God, who started this nice deliverance, will excellent it.”
Phrases of John’s launch weren’t disclosed. Each evangelists are native Nigerians, John from Kogi state and Abu from Niger state.
Solomon had despatched a prayer discover on Might 23 stating the 2 employees have been final seen the night time of Might 21 after leaving a discipleship-making class at 10 p.m.
“After days of silence, we will now affirm they’ve been kidnapped by unknown individuals,” he acknowledged. “Within the early hours of in the present day, at 1:44 a.m., I, Moses Solomon, acquired a chilling name from the abductors who mentioned: “Mallam Musa, pay attention very properly, and I cannot repeat myself once more. Mallam Yahaya and Mallam Abu will not be nice, and it is best to cease trying to find them. If we hear of their search once more, you’ll carry their useless our bodies.”
John and Abu are each devoted younger males have faithfully served with Nupe Missions, dwelling sacrificially to convey the sunshine of Christ to a individuals who haven’t recognized Him and disciple them, Solomon mentioned.
“We stand undeterred,” he mentioned within the Might 23 assertion. “Our hope is within the Lord who watches over His personal. We imagine in divine deliverance and name upon the worldwide Physique of Christ to boost prayers in your private and company altars.”
The predominantly Muslim Zabarmawa persons are among the many largely unreached teams in northwest Nigeria.
“Declare Psalm 91 and Isaiah 43 over these treasured brothers – pray for knowledge for all concerned of their restoration,” Solomon mentioned. “Pray for the softening of the captors’ hearts, and pray for divine safety and power for the missionaries.”
Christians in northwest Nigeria have lengthy confronted persecution from Muslim terrorist teams, together with Lakurawa and Fulani herdsmen.
The Zarma, recognized in Nigeria as Zarbarmawa, have a inhabitants of about 169,000 of which 93 % Muslims, in response to the Joshua Mission. About 3 % of the inhabitants identifies as Christian and solely 2 % as evangelical.
Zarbarmawa Muslims combine conventional animism into their perception and follow, usually participating in rituals of spirit-possession, spirit worship, and magic, in response to the Joshua Mission.
“The cults are headed by monks who’ve been possessed by evil spirits,” it states. “The Zarma imagine these monks have therapeutic powers. The Zarma imagine that there are a number of several types of spirits: people who convey sickness or loss of life; ghosts or ‘chilly’ spirits; and those that management the forces of nature.”
Nigeria remained among the many most harmful locations on earth for Christians, in response to Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Listing of the nations the place it’s most tough to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for his or her religion worldwide in the course of the reporting interval, 3,100 (69 %) have been in Nigeria, in response to the WWL.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence within the nation is already on the most doable beneath World Watch Listing methodology,” the report acknowledged.
Within the nation’s North-Central zone, the place Christians are extra widespread than they’re within the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia assault farming communities, killing many lots of, Christians above all, in response to the report. Jihadist teams similar to Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), amongst others, are additionally energetic within the nation’s northern states, the place federal authorities management is scant and Christians and their communities proceed to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, in response to the report. Abductions for ransom have elevated significantly in recent times.
The violence has unfold to southern states, and a brand new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged within the northwest, armed with superior weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL famous. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.
Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL listing of the 50 worst nations for Christians.
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