Boko Haram Abducts Priest, Nine Others, Kills One

Boko Haram/ISWAP Terrorists Abduct Catholic Priest and Nine Others, Kill One Along Gwoza-Limankara Road in Borno State

Terrorists affiliated with Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have reportedly abducted Reverend Father Daniel Afina, a Catholic priest and project coordinator of a Christian non-governmental organization (NGO), along with nine other individuals. The attack occurred on the Gwoza-Limankara Road in Borno State, during which one person was killed.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity in Maiduguri revealed that Rev. Fr. Afina was returning from Mubi in a vehicle accompanied by two staff members of the NGO when their convoy was ambushed by the terrorists. During the attack, one staff member was killed, and the priest was abducted while others managed to escape the scene.

In a simultaneous assault, another vehicle carrying nine travelers was also ambushed along the same route, with all occupants taken hostage. The NGO staff who escaped the attack promptly returned to Maiduguri to report the incident and seek urgent assistance.

The source further disclosed that the terrorists made contact with the family of the abducted priest via a cellular phone call, allowing Rev. Afina to inform his family of his capture. However, no ransom demands were made at the time of the communication.

Confirming the incident, a senior official of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno State condemned the abduction and the killing of the NGO staff member. The official called on government authorities and security agencies to expedite efforts to rescue the priest and the other captives.

The abduction marks a distressing continuation of violent attacks and kidnappings by insurgent groups in northeastern Nigeria, heightening concerns over the safety of humanitarian workers and travelers in the region.

Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has emphatically declared that no local government area in the state will be allowed to fall under the control of Boko Haram or the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Governor Zulum made this vow on Monday, May 26, during a media briefing with State House correspondents following a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The governor said the purpose of his visit was to brief the President on the deteriorating security situation in the North-East, particularly in Borno State, and to seek enhanced federal intervention to counter the resurgence of insurgent activities in the region.

“Purposely, I came to brief him on the security situation in the North-East and in particular in Borno State,” Zulum said.

“The President has given me assurance that they will do everything to control the situation, and I believe the federal government will do something,” he stated.