Christian Entity Welcomes Release of 24 Abducted Girls in Nigeria, Condemns Perpetrators’ Impunity

The students were reportedly taken on November 17 by armed assailants who scaled the walls of their school at around 4am, killing the assistant principal, and severely injuring a security guard who later died in hospital.

The abductions reportedly occurred shortly after a military detachment left the school premises.  

According to the CSW report, the release of the students came amid news of the death of Reverend James Audu of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ekati village, Patigi Local Government Area (LGA), Kwara State.

The Church leader is said to have been abducted on August 28, and his captors initially demanded N100 million (USD 68706), which was negotiated down to N5 million (USD 3460).

However, the captors demanded an additional N45 million (USD 31,100) upon receiving the agreed amount, and reportedly killed him before further negotiations could take place. 

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News also emerged of the abduction of at least eight people, two men and six women, from Biresawa village in Tsanyawa LGA, Kano State, in an armed raid that occurred between 11 pm and midnight on November 24.

In addition, on 23 November, thirteen girls aged between 15 and 20 were abducted by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) while harvesting farmlands in Borno State.

One girl managed to escape, and most inhabitants are said to have now fled the district. 

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the increasing insecurity across northern Nigeria, including the surge in attacks, is creating unprecedented levels of hunger that are impacting rural farming communities, especially.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) also issued a statement on November 25, urging the government to act decisively to restore security and citing several recent calamities, including the killing of over 70 people, the destruction of at least 300 homes, and the displacement of over 3,000 families from the Kufai Ahmadu and Chanchanji communities of Takum LGA in Taraba State in a series of deadly attacks by Fulani militia.

The Bishops also  demanded justice for Deborah Emmanuel (aka Deborah  Yakubu), the Christian student who was killed extrajudicially at her college in Sokoto State following an unproven blasphemy accusation, ‘as impunity in such cases undermines the rule of law and endangers the rights of all citizens.’  

In the report, the CSW CEO extends the entity’s deepest condolences to the family, loved ones and congregation of Rev James Audu following his death in the hands of the captors on August 28, calling for immediate action to stop the menace.

“We call for a decisive response to the recent surge in attacks and abductions which, once again, are merely a snapshot of the violence to which Christian communities have been subjected in Nigeria’s northern and central states for over a decade,” Mr. Bower says in the report.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.