Nigerian bishop on school kidnappings: “Our hearts are broken, but our faith remains firm”
“Evil will never win,” said Nigeria’s National Security Advisor, during a visit to the bishop of Kontagora, where over 300 children were kidnapped in late November.
Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of the Diocese of Kontagora spoke about the pain of his community during a 1 December meeting with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, following the mass kidnapping of over 300 children and staff of a Catholic School, on 21 November. Around 50 of the students managed to escape, but 239 pupils from the primary school and nursery, 14 secondary school students and 12 staff members remain in the hands of the kidnappers.
“The kidnapping of our innocent students and dedicated staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School has brought deep sorrow to the families and the entire community. These children left their homes in search of education and were instead confronted with terror. Their families remain in anguish, unable to sleep, not knowing the condition of their loved ones,” the bishop said in a video of the meeting sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
“As a Church, our hearts are broken, but our faith remains firm,” he told the NSA Nuhu Ribadu.
The abduction, he said, “is a profound moral and spiritual wound to the community and to humanity. Violence against children violates the core principles of human dignity and the sanctity of life,” adding that the Church’s strategy involves “sustained prayers, pastoral care and support for the victims and their families, affirming that hope must endure even in the face of profound suffering”.
Bishop Yohanna explained that the unchallenged presence of bandits was affecting farming and food security, and assured Nuhu Ribadu that “we will continue to preach hope and discourage retaliation even as we demand justice. We will keep praying for our leaders, our security forces, and for our beloved nation.”
The National Security Advisor, on his part, assured of the personal commitment of President Bola Tinubu to securing the release of the kidnapped children and staff.
“President Tinubu is in pain. […] He was meant to travel out of the country, but this incident stopped him. […] This is evil visiting us, in its worst, purest form, and we are all the victims. But we can assure you it’s a matter of time. This thing will stop. We must stop it.”
“Let’s not allow bad people to divide us. Let us not allow evil to get into us. God is with us. Evil will never win,” he added.
“Only God can help you overcome this”
Unity was also highlighted by Bernard Doro, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, who personally addressed affected families. “I want to thank God for the representatives of the parents, who made it very clear that it wasn’t a religious issue. The bandits were talking about money, and that is all they’re interested in.”
Nigeria suffers from a complex mixture of factors that contribute to violence and unrest. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State – West Africa Province operate in some areas of the north, targeting Christians and all those who do not espouse their radical version of Islam, while Christians are treated as second-class citizens in some Muslim-majority states that have adopted Sharia Law. In other regions, disputes between heavily armed mostly Muslim Fulani herders and mostly unarmed Christian settled farmers have caused a massive death-toll. Though not specifically a religious conflict, religion can be an aggravating factor and there are signs of growing Islamic radicalisation amongst the Fulani.
The mass kidnapping of 303 students and 12 staff members was the latest in a series of tragic incidents, including the kidnapping of 25 young women from another school in the north of the country, though they have since all been rescued.
Aid to the Church in Need calls for the speedy and safe release of the children and all other victims of abduction in the country. ACN’s Religious Freedom In the World Report, published in October, classifies Nigeria as a country of persecution due to increasing levels of violence against Christians and generalised insecurity.
