NIGERIA: Hundreds of Christians gather in Nigeria's capital to attend a special prayer session for the safe return of the kidnapped schoolgirls

Record ID: 236780

  • Title: NIGERIA: Hundreds of Christians gather in Nigeria's capital to attend a special prayer session for the safe return of the kidnapped schoolgirls
  • Date: 1st June 2014
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PASTOR, WORD ALIVE MINISTRIES, GODWIN ABA, SAYING: "Prayer can go very very, far everybody has a spiritual backup even the Boko Haram who abducted those girls have their spiritual backup they, didn't just come out you understand me, I mean it's not common for somebody to just go into places to go abduct or kidnap people, there is a spiritual backup. We have the army that are already at the forefront now they do the military aspect while we do the spiritual backup for them in praying."
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Reuters ID: LVABEYJWZF0W9D3CZ5LZLC4G04F0
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Christians gathered in Nigeria's capital on Sunday (June 1) to attend a special prayer session for the safe return of the kidnapped schoolgirls.
    Organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria, Christians from various churches also prayed for peace in northern Nigeria.
    Since the girls were captured on April 14, according to a Reuters count, at least 470 civilians have been killed in various locations at the hands of Boko Haram, which has said it wants to reinstate a medieval Islamic caliphate in Africa's most populous nation.
    Despite a year-long military offensive against it, Boko Haram has been able to run riot in the northeast and bomb cities across the country.
    Pastor, Word Alive Ministries, Godwin Aba said they believe with prayers, the girls will be freed and returned home.

    "Prayer works, there is power in prayers, as a church we are not going to carry guns, we are not going to carry machetes, we have to walk on our knees. Our strength is in our prayers as we pray backing up the military definitely we will see our girls coming out no matter how wicked Boko Haram may be, they are going to release the girls," he said.
    Seven weeks since Boko Haram militants abducted more than 200 girls taking exams at secondary school in the remote northeastern village of Chibok, little is known of their whereabouts or what the military is doing to get them out.

    "Prayer can go very very, far everybody has a spiritual backup even the Boko Haram who abducted those girls have their spiritual back up they didn't just come out you understand me, I mean it's not common for somebody to just go into places to go abduct or kidnap people, there is a spiritual backup. We have the army that are already at the forefront now they do the military aspect while we do the spiritual backup for them in praying," Pastor Godwin added.
    Nigeria's military said on Tuesday (May 27) the military knew where the abducted girls were but ruled out using force to rescue them for fear of endangering their lives.

    "Everybody is praying for them, all churches are praying for them and we are here to also pray that is not the only challenge we are having but it is like bringing out the gravity of this Boko Haram issue holding these more than 200 girls for more than a month. It's heart rending," Christian faithful, Chinwe Onouha said.
    Protests continued in Abuja for the safe return of the kidnapped girls.
    Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday (May 29) he had ordered "a full-scale operation to put an end to the impunity of terrorists on our soil," as he reassured parents of 219 schoolgirls being held by Boko Haram that his forces would free them.
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