News / Thoughts

Abductions and rescue missions…

On 10th August in Nigeria, suspected members of the militant group Boko Haram abducted around 100 young men and boys in an attack on the remote town of Doron Baga in Borno state on 10 August. Several people were killed in the attack, and the militants also burned houses.

On Monday (18th August) after around a week of captivity, a Nigerian security official said that most of those abducted have been rescued by Chadian troops, a Nigerian security official has told AFP.

Boko Haram have in the past abducted young men and boys forcing them to fight for Boko Haram. Back on the 10th August, militants overpowered the local vigilante groups who had no support, as there is a lack of military presence in the area.

“There was confusion everywhere. They started parking our men and boys into their vehicles, threatening to shoot whoever disobeyed them. Everybody was scared,” says Halima Adamu, who travelled 110 miles on the back of a truck to Maiduguri, capital of the north-eastern state of Borno, before she could report the attack.

This follows an attack on another town in Borno state just days ago, where 100 were killed. The military were present at that incident, but were unable to prevent the massacre. “In our region, the army is losing the ground,” Biye said. “Residents are very disappointed and have lost hope. Then who is going to protect us?”

The rescue

The official said that 65 men and 22 women were rescued on Monday, but 30 people are still being held captive by militants. This is contrary to previous reports that only men had been abducted.

“The convoy being led by six Boko Haram gunmen was stopped on the Chadian part of the border along Lake Chad for routine checks and the huge number of people in the convoy raised suspicion,” the unnamed official said. Another official said that some militants had escaped on speedboats when they saw the convoy being stopped, the BBC reports.

Source: BBC, Open Doors

Please pray

• Praise God for the safe rescue of these 87 men and women. Ask God to heal them of the trauma they have experienced
• Ask for the protection of those who remain captive to Boko Haram, and for their safe and swift release

Chibok girls still missing

It has been 125 days since the abduction of more than 200 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, and there is no indication that they will be liberated soon. The international effort to find the girls has waned: the US military is now carrying out just one surveillance flight a day, as drones have been shifted back towards other operations.

At the Africa Summit in the US last week, President Goodluck Jonathan said that the federal government had information on the location of the girls, but was being careful to avoid repeating an episode in February 2013 in which an offshoot of Boko Haram killed seven foreign hostages before authorities could rescue them.

Open Doors continues to provide support for the victims of persecution in Nigeria. We are also supporting a prayer campaign called for by the bishops in Nigeria.

Source: Open Doors; Bloomberg; the Guardian

Please pray

• For protection for all those who have been abducted by Boko Haram
• For the safe return of those who are missing
• For wisdom for the government as they battle insurgents
• For peace in region