Nigeria: Boko Haram Kidnapping Survivors… “I Want to Help Those Who Suffered Like Me”

According to a recent report by International Christian Concern (ICC), many Nigerian survivors who were once held captive by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram are now seeking help and hoping to return to society. Rebecca Kabu (24) was kidnapped by Boko Haram and experienced unimaginable suffering for several years, including forced marriage and religious coercion.

Boko Haram abducted Kabu from a government secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014. She was 16 at the time and converted to Islam to avoid execution. Although she eventually escaped with the help of a Boko Haram member to whom she had been forcibly married, her life in the Sambisa Forest was filled with hardship. She and her three children suffered greatly due to the lack of medical care, and all her children died.

Kabu said, “Boko Haram threatened to kill me if I refused to marry. I didn’t want to die, so I accepted Islam, but now I am willing to die as a Christian.” Kabu hopes to start a new life, return to school, and become a humanitarian activist to support other survivors.

Over the past 16 years, Boko Haram has claimed more than 350,000 lives, mostly in Nigeria, affecting Chad, Niger, Cameroon, and Mali as well. In 2016, Boko Haram split, forming what is known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The abduction of female students has become one of the group’s most notorious acts of cruelty.

This problem extends beyond Boko Haram. Other armed Islamic Fulani groups and Muslim bandits continue to kidnap and harm girls, forcing them to convert to Islam and subjecting them to violence. ICC reports that although 130 Christian girls have been rescued, many still suffer forced marriages, and the Nigerian authorities have responded minimally to their plight. These girls continue to live under a lingering stigma from their past.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria branch has called for practical support for survivors and launched the “Power Our Girls” campaign with Christian women leaders, aiming to raise awareness of the need for programs to assist rescued or escaped girls to reintegrate into society.

Countless girls like Kabu are still seeking a safer environment, justice, and opportunities to heal. Kabu said, “I want to change my environment, return to school, and use my life experiences to help others who have suffered like me.”

Psalms 23: 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

🙏Pray for

1. Lord, comfort these women who have been kidnapped for so long and endured great suffering, and grant them peace. Many have returned to their families but still live with their former pain. We lift them up to You, asking that You raise up Christian organizations that can provide practical help so that they may heal, become self-reliant, and live a life of faith filled with the love of Jesus Christ.

2. May all those who have been kidnapped soon return safely to their families. Let witnesses of suffering, such as Rebecca Kabu, be restored by Your great comfort and serve as channels of heavenly consolation and salvation for those who have suffered similarly.

3. Protect the Nigerian Church, which continues to face abduction and death at the hands of Islamic militant groups. May the Nigerian government not remain silent in the face of such violence and lawlessness. Lord, guide the authorities to institutionally suppress the armed groups and implement justice. Raise up leaders who fear God and serve the people with a good conscience.