Thirty-eight members of a church in western Nigeria have been released, five days after Fulani militia abducted them in an attack.
They were worshipping at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Kwara State, on 18th November when they were kidnapped in a deadly gun attack.
Their release on 23rd November reportedly followed a coordinated effort by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Department of State Security (DSS), the police, and the army. It came hours after the kidnappers reduced their ransom demand from ₦100 million (£52,000) per victim to ₦20 million (£10,500).
It is just one of many recent incidents affecting Christians in Nigeria. In Niger State, in the north of the country, 50 of 303 students and 12 teachers abducted on 21st November during an overnight raid on St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School managed to escape. Armed gunmen shot and seriously injured a security guard before taking children as young as six.
Claims that the school defied a government order to close boarding facilities were disputed by the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora, Revd Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who said no such warning was received. He confirmed that 253 children and 12 staff remain with the abductors.
The Niger State attack was the second mass kidnapping in a week. Twenty-five female students seized from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, on 17th November are still in captivity. Although the area is predominantly Christian, the dorm targeted reportedly housed Muslim students.
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Kaduna has denied reports that Fr Bobbo Paschal, abducted on 17th November, has been killed, asking for continued prayers.
The Nigerian government has continued to reject claims of religious persecution following the US decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). A delegation travelled to Washington in mid-November to challenge what it called “dangerous” narratives about anti-Christian violence and possible genocide. The visit reportedly led to renewed commitments on security cooperation and civilian protection in the Middle Belt.
Last week, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic priest, denied that any genocide or jihad was taking place. The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA) in Makurdi responded, stating: “What our people are experiencing bears every mark of genocide: a deliberate, calculated and targeted attempt to eliminate communities and take over their ancestral lands.”
Persecution watchdog CSW has said the crisis highlights why the US was right to designate Nigeria a CPC.
Founder and president Mervyn Thomas said: “Nigerian civilians are under increasing siege by multiple armed non-state actors… We call on Nigeria to engage positively with the CPC process, obtain the assistance needed to address religion-related crises, and hold perpetrators accountable.”
