Nigerian Pastor and Wife Kidnapped by Boko Haram Appeal for Release

May 7, 2024

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Your prayers are urgently requested for Nigerian pastor Paul Musa and his wife Ruth abducted more than a year ago by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram from their home in northern Borno State.

In a video posted online by the kidnappers on May 5 2024, Pastor Paul calls on the government and the Christian Association of Nigeria for help in securing their release.  The couple were abducted in March 2023. 

Pastor Paul says in the video that other Muslims kidnapped at around the same time have been freed and resettled in their communities. “Yet we have been forgotten. Why?” he asks. “Why does the government not care for us? Is it because we are Christians?”

Pastor Paul Musa and his wife Ruth appearing on the video posted by members of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.

The 59-year-old pastor points out that he and his 50-year-old wife have served the church for 29 years. “Today we are not physically healthy,” he says in the video. “I and my wife, we are here. We need assistance from you.”

Churches and Christian communities in Nigeria’s North and Middle Belt are frequently targeted for attack. It is estimated that around 45,000 believers have been killed by Islamists since 2009, the majority of the killings taking place in the two regions. Many hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

Ask the Lord to draw close to Pastor Paul and his wife Ruth and comfort them in their captivity. Pray that they will be released unharmed soon and able to resume their ministry.

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