Nigeria Church Says More Than 50 Hostages Freed, But Two Killed
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ABUJA (Worthy News) – The United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN) says one hostage died when suspected Islamic gunmen, known as “bandits,” released more than 50 church members after four months of captivity.
The abducted Christian, who passed away, wasn’t able to escape with other church members in a forest of Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state due to “injuries” he sustained while being held against his will, the UCCN said.
Earlier, another church member was shot dead during the hostage crisis, said UCCN President Amos Kiri. “We lost one instantly,” he recalled. “Several years earlier, one of our kidnapped clergy was killed,” Kiri added.
Yet the safe release of most other church members still came as welcome news for the denomination, as thousands of Christians have reportedly been killed in Nigeria in recent years.
The UCCN crisis unfolded in December last year when dozens of its members were abducted while attending a wedding reception on the church premises, Christians said.
It was unclear whether a ransom had been paid to the “bandits” at a time when several Islamic extremists targeted Christians in several parts of the African nation. More details about the victims were not immediately released, but Kiri urged better protection for Christians.
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the [recently elected] president of our country today, is doing his best. But a lot has to be done,” Kiri told reporters.
“All the security apparatus in this country need synergies if we want to overcome this monster,” he added, referring to Islamic terror attacks.
“As religious leaders, both Christians and any other religious person, we have a responsibility to change the narrative,” argued Musa Filibis, the archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria.
“We must turn around from preaching violence and hatred to preaching Love. That’s the only way to go,” the archbishop added in comments seen by Worthy News.
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