Security forces have rescued Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina and 32 other kidnap victims in separate operations in Borno and Zamfara States.
Fr. Afina, a Nigerian Catholic priest who previously served in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, was abducted on June 1, 2025, along the Liman Kara–Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
He was rescued on Monday alongside 10 women during a joint operation by the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigerian Army.
According to a post on Tuesday by security analyst Zagazola on X, no ransom was paid for the release of the captives.
Confirming the incident, the Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, Most Rev. John Bakeni, said Fr. Afina was travelling from Mubi, Adamawa State, to Maiduguri when insurgents ambushed his convoy near a military checkpoint. One passenger was reportedly killed in the attack.
Bakeni, who also serves as Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Borno, commended the efforts of security forces and described the rescue as a major relief for the Church and affected families. He called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and communities in the fight against insurgency.
In a separate operation in Zamfara State, the DSS and Nigerian Army rescued 32 kidnap victims from the Shinkafi axis. The victims, comprising 27 women and five boys, were held in forest camps for periods ranging between two and four months.
They were later handed over to the Zamfara State Government for medical attention and documentation.
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Two farmers have been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Parubber community in the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government area of Ondo State. The victims were kidnapped while working on their farms in the community before they were forcefully taken
