Moses Oyeleke, a pastor with the
Living Faith Church Worldwide, better known as Winners’ Chapel, in Maiduguri,
Borno state, has been released from Boko Haram captivity.
Oyeleke was abducted alongside
his assistant, Abraham Amuta, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member,
along Chibok road in Borno, on March 13, 2019.
The two were members of a
committee set up by the church to distribute relief materials to internally
displaced persons (IDPs). They were abducted while engaging with the IDPs.
His release was reportedly
facilitated by the state government, Kalthum Foundation for Peace, and
Initiative for Peace Building, two non-governmental organisations.
Ndagiliya Umar, who was abducted
in a school in Askira Uba local government area of Borno, along with her sister
and some other people, was also released after reportedly spending nine months
in captivity.
“We were on our way to Chibok
when they caught us and took us to Yale; from there, they took a detour and
finally took us to Sambisa,”Oyeleke told reporters at the office of Usman
Kadafur, deputy governor of the state.
“It was the two of us, myself and
my brother, who was not released. They have promised us that when they finish
discussions, they’ll release them in December; himself and the elder sister of
this girl I was released with.
“I am very happy today that we
have been rescued because where we are coming from, we have come from a place
of darkness to light; that is why my heart is filled with joy because I have
seen my family, friends, and associates.
“I stayed peacefully with them
for up to seven months. Many times they have requested me to convert to Islam,
their preachers had preached to me a lot of times but you know when you have
wisdom, you relate with people in a way that would not lead to quarrel.
“When they come to preach, I pay
attention to everything they said and when they asked me questions about things
that I know will cause problems if I respond, I always tell them I don’t know
so that I don’t say things that would offend them.”
The kidnappers were said to have
contacted the family of Oyeleke, and Victor Samaila, his resident pastor, a
month after the abduction demanding an undisclosed amount as ransom.
On her part, Ndagiliya said:
“Life in the bush, they marry off little girls; women do not talk to men, and
movement is restricted.”
Leah Sharibu, a schoolgirl
kidnapped in Dapchi, Yobe state, is still in captivity till date over her
refusal to convert to Islam. Sharibu was among over 100 students abducted in
2017. While all others were freed, save for five who died, she is still with
her captors.
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