A Nigerian priest who endured a harrowing kidnapping by armed insurgents, shared his story of survival, forgiveness, and healing.
Fr Stephen Ojapah, who was abducted in May 2022, was forced to march barefoot for days and chained for over a month before being released.
His account, shared during a Religious Freedom Roundtable in Washington, D.C. on 25th November 2024, highlighted the brutality of his captors, who he believes were part of a jihadist faction that had splintered from Boko Haram.
The Christian Post reported how Ojapah and four others sought refuge in a parish in Nigeria’s Katsina state when the insurgents stormed the building.
The group was rounded up, and though Ojapah tried to protect his companions by claiming he was the priest, all of them were abducted.
The journey they were forced to endure included a barefoot march that lasted two days, leaving Ojapah’s feet bloodied and painful.
Once they arrived at their destination, Ojapah and his companions were beaten, flogged, and chained, suffering from exposure to the elements and unsanitary conditions.
The priest recalls enduring humiliation as their bodies became covered in dirt.
After 33 days of captivity, the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto paid a ransom, which led to their release.
Before his release, one of the captors asked Ojapah if he would forgive them for what they had done. Ojapah, embracing his Christian values, replied, “Yes, truly I forgive you.”
He believes that forgiveness was crucial to his healing process, allowing him to recover and eventually help others dealing with similar trauma.
Ojapah's initiative, the Trauma Victims Initiative, aims to support those in Nigeria who have experienced kidnappings and other forms of trauma.
He now advocates for regional collaboration to address the radical ideologies and terrorist groups that fuel violence in the region, calls for more humanitarian aid and for both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria to be treated with equal rights and opportunities.