Rev. Polycarp Zango, a minister of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), has been freed by his kidnappers after being kept hostage since October 19, 2020, according to reports.
According to a report Our Nigeria, which was also picked up by CBN, the pastor was released by Boko Haram militants with the help of Ambassador Ummu Kalthum Muhammad, chairman and founder of the Kalthum Foundation for Peace.
Mr. Bulama Mohammed, the NGO's Executive Director, said that attempts to free the Reverend and other detainees had been ongoing since January.
He also said that no ransom was paid in exchange for the clergyman's release.
"To the best of my knowledge, no ransom was paid to get the clergyman released. You can confirm this from his family and his church," he said in a statement to Our Nigeria.
Furthermore, according to Mohammed, the John Pofi Foundation supported and even pressed KFP to release the Reverend since he was in serious condition.
The backstory
In November, a video was aired in which Zango begged the Plateau State Government and his church for help.
"On Monday, 19 October 2020, I was traveling to Gombe for a church conference when we encountered the caliphate's armed men who captured me along the way, and right now I'm with them," he explained.
"They too captured two Christian women who are also here with me. I'm appealing that you all do all that is possible to secure our release from captivity."
Members of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) were responsible for his captivity, as well as the abduction of two other Christians women.
According to the International Christian Concern (ICC), Rev. Polycarp Zango has appealed to Governor Simon Lalong, state Senator I.D. Gyang, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and COCIN for intervention in securing his release.
On ISWAP, the ICC said that the extremist organization has a history of kidnapping and murdering Christians who do not pay ransoms.
In fact, following Zango's abduction, according to an earlier account on the incident, Boko Haram launched an assault in the northeastern Borno state, killing 12 people and kidnapping three more women and their four children.
Rev. Lawan Andami, district chairman of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), was kidnapped and assassinated early this year in Michika County, Adamawa state. Additionally, they killed 11 Christians on the night of Christmas last year.
Christian communities in West Africa have been subjected to an increase in violence the past months, and the trend seems to be continuing.
Although Nigeria is ranked 9th on Open Doors' 2021 World Watch List of nations where Christians face the greatest persecution, the country is ranked second in terms of the number of Christians slain for their religious beliefs.
Despite being a Muslim, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has pinned the country's seemingly unstoppable bloodshed on an "evil combination of politically-motivated banditry, revenge killings, and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious grounds."
Please see "7 Things to Know About: Persecution in Nigeria" to understand the nature of persecution among Nigerian Christians.
