Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Maiduguri (Agenzia Fides) - "We pray for the release of Fr. Elijah Juma Wada, We know that he is alive and we hope for a positive outcome of this sad story. At the moment I cannot add anything else, for obvious reasons", His Exc. Mgr. Oliver Dashe Doeme, Bishop of Maiduguri, tells Fides, confirming the kidnapping of Elijah Juma Wada, who was kidnapped on June 30 on the road between Damboa and Maiduguri. The priest, who serves at the parish of Buma in Shani, was on his way to Damaturu to attend the thanksgiving mass for the 10th anniversary of his friend, Father Yakubu Inda Philibus. The kidnappers are suspected of belonging to Boko Haram, the Islamist group that was founded in Maiduguri in 2009, but has split into various factions in recent years, one of which has declared its adherence to the Islamic State. In addition to the kidnappings by terrorist groups, there are also kidnappings for extortion purposes, which have become an endemic scourge in Nigeria. Priests and nuns suffer it too, despite the fact that for years the Nigerian Bishops' Conference has forbidden the payment of ransoms. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 6/7/2021)
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