Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - Security forces have rescued Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina and 32 other kidnap victims in separate operations in Borno and Zamfara States.
Fr. Afina, a Nigerian Catholic priest who previously served
in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, was abducted on June 1, 2025, along
the Liman Kara–Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
He was rescued on Monday alongside 10 women during a joint
operation by the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigerian Army.
According to a post on Tuesday by security analyst Zagazola
on X, no ransom was paid for the release of the captives.
Confirming the incident, the Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri
Diocese, Most Rev. John Bakeni, said Fr. Afina was travelling from Mubi,
Adamawa State, to Maiduguri when insurgents ambushed his convoy near a military
checkpoint. One passenger was reportedly killed in the attack.
Bakeni, who also serves as Chairman of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Borno, commended the efforts of security forces
and described the rescue as a major relief for the Church and affected
families. He called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and
communities in the fight against insurgency.
In a separate operation in Zamfara State, the DSS and
Nigerian Army rescued 32 kidnap victims from the Shinkafi axis. The victims,
comprising 27 women and five boys, were held in forest camps for periods
ranging between two and four months.
They were later handed over to the Zamfara State Government
for medical attention and documentation.
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