Sr. Johannes Nwodo (R), Sr. Christabel Echemazu (L), Sr. Liberata Mbamalu (C), and Sr. Benita Agu, freed from captivity in Nigeria’s Imo State, Aug. 23, 2022. / Courtesy photos
According to their order, four Nigerian religious sisters who were abducted on their way to Mass on August 21 have been freed.
Sisters Johannes Nwodo, Christabel Echemazu, Liberata Mbamalu, and Benita Agu were abducted on August 21 in the southern Nigerian state of Imo.
After two days of “intense prayer” for their “quick and safe release,” the Sisters of Jesus the Saviour released a statement on August 23 announcing the abductees’ “unconditional and safe release.”
“Today is a memorable day for us, therefore, we wish to share this joy with all men and women of Goodwill who in one way or the other have contributed to the quick and safe release of our dear sisters,” the statement reads.
The Sisters of Jesus the Saviour are a Nigerian organisation that provides care for the impoverished, old, and ill. The injunction did not specify who may have been responsible for the abduction.
In recent years, the number of kidnappings of Christians in Nigeria has increased, prompting church leaders to express grave worry for the safety of their members and urge the government to prioritise the protection of its residents.
Priests, in particular, are often kidnapped and held for ransom. On July 11, the Nigerian Diocesan Catholic Priests Association issued a statement about the attacks, saying, “it is really sad that in the course of their normal pastoral activities, priests have become an endangered species.”
Fathers John Mark Cheitnum and Denatus Cleopas were kidnapped in July from the rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church in the village of Lere, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Cleopas was liberated, but Cheitnum was brutally murdered.
Security expert David Otto, director of the Geneva Centre for Africa Security and Strategic Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, told the media that the opinion of security specialists in his organisation is that the Catholic Church is being targeted because it has paid the exorbitant ransoms the terrorists have requested, which may be as high as $200,000 or more.