BBC News recently sat down with Naomi Adamu, one of the 270 girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School who was kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014.
Naomi was 24 years old at the time of her kidnapping and detailed the difficulties she faced throughout three years in Boko Haram captivity, “It was a very difficult time for us in Sambisa, there was no food, no water. We even had to use soil to clean ourselves up when we were on our periods.”
Sources: BBC, International Christian Concern
Naomi was amongst the oldest of the kidnapped girls and recalled the pressure militants put on her to marry a fighter or convert to Islam, with hopes that the younger girls would follow her lead.
“Every time she refused she would be beaten brutally and threatened with death.”
“When the militants kept her and some of the more stubborn students apart from their peers, depriving the weaker girls of food in order to force them to marry, Naomi and her friends smuggled food to them.” Wrote Mayeni Jones of BBC News, “They sang hymns in front of their guards, quietly at first, then more boldly. Most of the kidnapped students were Christians. They wrote down their favourite Bible verses and prayers in their diaries.”
Naomi was freed in 2017 and while she is now happily married and expecting her first child, the news of recent school kidnappings initiates deep-seated empathy: “I could not sleep throughout the night when I heard about the Zamfara abductions because I didn’t want them to go through what we went through. I still get scared whenever I hear gunshots – even if they’re from the military.”
Let us pray.
- Please continue to pray for the survivors of kidnappings, that the Lord will heal their trauma and give them peace beyond understanding.
- Pray for the safe return of all who have been abducted, for the Lord to comfort grieving parents and families, and for the protection of schools from violent attacks.
- Please also pray for the perpetrators of these attacks, that they will be granted true repentance and accept Jesus as their Saviour.
Lord, thank you for the great faith of these women. We pray for their ongoing healing and we pray for your divine protection over all the young people of Nigeria. Amen.
Lord please bless and heal these courageous survivors. They do indeed need your peace that surpasses all understanding. Lord please return all that have been abducted to their families and please protect all schools from violent attacks. Lord may those who seek to harm others this way, come to a saving grace in you, so they no longer do these heinous crimes.
In your mighty name we pray Yeshua.
Almighty God and Heavenly Father, you have urged in your word to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good. (Romans 12Vs21). We continue to pray for the survivors of kidnappings, that the Lord will heal their trauma and give them peace beyond understanding and a growing trust in Him so that may be useful servants for His kingdom work. We pray for the safe return of all who have been abducted, for you, as the God of all comfort, to comfort grieving parents and families, and for the protection of schools from violent attacks. Father we plead with you to intervene and help your children and all who are vulnerable. Please bring the perpetrators of these attacks to true repentance and to accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Lord have mercy and pour out your grace on these situations. Soli Deo Gloria.
Lord, thank you for the freedom of Naomi. Please help her to seek counseling and any other services that she might need as she recovers from any trauma that being kidnapped might have caused her. In Jesus’ name, amen.