Tags

Kidnap

• Attacks Resulting in Fatalities and Kidnappings

  

  More than 20 Christians lost their lives in attacks that took place recently in Nigeria's Taraba State during the first half of August. In one such incident, the St. Agnes Catholic Church in the village of Dinya was raided on August 14th. At the time of the attack, a spiritual teacher working for the church was kidnapped by the perpetrators. According to the parish priest, Rev. Lawrence Awua, the assailants entered the building at around 10 p.m. and began shooting sporadically. The church's teacher, Gidion Tsehemba, heard the noise and came to investigate, which led to his abduction.

• Gunmen Kill Pastor's Sons and Abduct Daughter

  

  Gunmen broke into the home of Pastor Daniel Umaru in Njairi, Adamawa State, during the early morning hours of July 6th. The results of the attack were devastating to the family. While Pastor Daniel survived the gunshot wound, his two sons were killed during the attack, and his 13-year-old daughter, Ijagla, was abducted. The pastor's wife was left in a state of unconsciousness due to the shock.

• Two Teenage Girls Recently Kidnapped

  

  After more than two weeks of apparent investigative searching, police have been unable to find two Christian girls who were kidnapped on March 7th from the Christian colony of Ghaziabad Aorangi Town which is located within the capital city of Karachi. A Christian lawyer involved in the case stated that, because the girls are Christians and their families are poor, the police have shown little interest in finding them. She asserted, "Police often side with the criminals, while courts bring Sharia law into consideration and decide these cases in favour of the kidnappers."

• Young Christian Woman Kidnapped

  

  Two years ago, Abida Mukhtar's husband died of a heart attack. Finding herself in need of assistance with necessary adjustments regarding his government pension, the grieving Christian widow turned to a Muslim neighbour, Nisar Jogi, who claimed that he could help expedite the process.

• Leah Still in Captivity After Four Years

  

  February 19th marked the fourth anniversary of the abduction of Leah Sharibu, a Nigerian schoolgirl who was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists when she was only 14 years old. Originally, 110 students were captured during the raid. Five died following the attack and, after negotiations, all remaining students were released except for Leah. According to reports from other students, the young teen continued to be held captive because she refused to renounce her Christian faith and convert to Islam (see this report).

• Invasion of Christian Residence Results in Abduction and Fatality

  

  On the night of February 6th, armed assailants entered the parish residence of St. Monica's Catholic Church in the Ikulu Pari Parish of Kaduna State. During the invasion, a kitchen chef named Sati Musa was killed; and the parish priest, Joseph Danjuma Shekari, was abducted – the latter incident presumably motivated by the perpetrators for the purpose of demanding ransom.

• Fifth Anniversary of Pastor Raymond Koh's Disappearance

  

  On February 13th, 2017, surveillance cameras captured Pastor Raymond Koh being forced to bring his vehicle to a sudden stop before masked men abducted him in an operation that appeared to be executed with military precision. The abducted pastor has not been seen nor heard from since the incident. Under suspicion of state police for attempting to convert ethnic Malays to Christianity, Pastor Raymond and his wife Susanna received death threats prior to the incident.

• Teenager Safely Returns Home

  

  In October 2020, Arzoo Raja was abducted from her family home in Pakistan, forced to convert to Islam, and then married against her will to the perpetrator of the crime – all this occurring when she was only at the age of 13. Her concerned Christian parents took legal action against her abductor and, ultimately, the courts nullified the young teen's marriage because of her age. However, due to the coercion and pressure she continued to receive from her kidnapper and others, Arzoo initially did not want to return home. So, instead, she was placed in a shelter. While any access to the attacker was forbidden, visits with her family and others were permitted only when requested by Arzoo. Previously posted information on this case is available here.

• All Emmanuel Baptist Hostages Released!

  

  Christians in Kaduna State, Nigeria, were devastated after an attack took place in the village of Kakau Daji on October 31st in which at least one worshipper was killed and 66 kidnapped. (Read an earlier posted report about this incident.)Sadly, five of the hostages were shot by their captors on November 6th, leaving two dead and three others hospitalized.

• Two Kidnapped Worshippers Slain

  

  Although the details are limited at this time, it has been reported that armed bandits have killed two of the worshippers who were abducted from the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Kakau Daji village on October 31st. (More details on the recent abduction have been made available here.) Rev. Joseph Hayab from the Christian Association of Nigeria announced in an official statement that the gunmen opened fire on five of the kidnapped Christians, killing two and injuring the other three.