US EditionKidnapped Nigerian Priest Who Served in Alaska Has Been Released by Boko Haram, Fairbanks Diocese Says
BORNO STATE, NIGERIA, JUL 22 – Father Alphonsus Afina and 10 women were freed unharmed after nearly two months in Boko Haram captivity, following a coordinated rescue by Nigeria’s Department of State Services and Army.
- On July 21, 2025, Nigeria's Department of State Services and Nigerian Army rescued Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina and ten women in Borno State.
- Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on June 1, 2025, along the Liman Kara-Gwoza road during travel from Mubi to Maiduguri, authorities say.
- Victims, including 27 women and five boys, spent between two and four months in Boko Haram captivity, with one passenger killed by a rocket-propelled grenade, and no ransom was paid.
- Most Reverend John Bogma Bakeni praised the professionalism, described 'a moment of profound relief and joy for the Church and all lovers of peace and justice,' and noted the global Catholic community closely followed Afina’s case.
- Analysts warn porous borders and socio-economic disparities continue to fuel instability, critics urge broader security strategies, and Maria Lozano said he will soon return to his parish.
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26 Articles
Kidnapped Nigerian priest who served in Alaska has been released, diocese says
A Nigerian priest who served for years in Alaska has been released after being kidnapped by Boko Haram in early June, according to Church officials in… The post Kidnapped Nigerian priest who served in Alaska has been released, diocese says appeared first on CatholicVote org.
Nigeria: DSS, Army Rescue Us-Based Cleric Kidnapped By Boko Haram
Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, John Bakeni, has lauded the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army for successfully rescuing Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina, who was kidnapped on June 1, 2025, by Boko Haram insurgents.
DSS, Army Rescue US-based cleric Kidnapped by Boko Haram
Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, John Bakeni, has lauded the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army for successfully rescuing Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina, who was kidnapped on June 1, 2025, by Boko Haram insurgents. Father Afina’s kidnap in Gworza, Borno State, had grabbed global headlines, as he had served as a priest in Alaska, US, from September 2017 through 2024. Kidnapped alongside the priest were, at the time, an…
Catholic bishop hails DSS, Army for rescuing priest, others in Borno, Zamfara
The Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, Most Rev. John Bakeni, has praised the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army for the successful rescue of Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina, who was abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno
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