On November 21st, people around the world were shocked by the abduction of over 300 students from a boarding school in Niger State, Nigeria. (Learn more about this kidnapping incident.)
About two weeks after the attack, Nigerian authorities announced that 100 of the children had been recovered. On December 21st, a spokesperson for the Nigerian president confirmed via social media that the remaining 130 pupils have since been released. This means that all the abducted schoolchildren were safely freed from captivity!
While there were some discrepancies in the reported number of captives, a United Nations spokesperson explained that some of the students had apparently escaped earlier. Those that had been released were taken to Minna, the state capital, for final processing. To date, governing officials have not publicly disclosed who was responsible for the initial attack nor how the captives were eventually freed.
Catholic Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna referred to this most recent release of the remaining schoolchildren as "a testimony to answered prayers and the power of faith in sustaining hope amidst fear and uncertainty." While the path forward for these students will be challenging, please join us in praying that each one of them will receive strength and healing as they recover from the trauma of their captivity.
- Praise God that these remaining schoolchildren have been safely released and are now able to return to their relieved families.
- Pray for each child's complete emotional and physical healing as they process the ordeal, asking God to bring comfort, peace and restoration to their hearts and minds.
- Intercede for an end to the ongoing violence in Nigeria – praying that God will transform the lives of the persecutors, bring stability to the region, and protect vulnerable communities from future attacks.
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