Jeff Woodke, a Christian aid worker from the United States, held hostage in Niger for six years has been released.

Woodke had just stepped down as the head of JEMED, a charity supported by a Christian aid agency, Tearfund, when he was kidnapped in 2016 in the town of Abalak in northern Niger.

However, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently announced an aid package for the region worth around 150 million dollars.

At a press conference to welcome their release, Blinken said, “I have no higher priority or focus than bringing home any unjustly detained American, wherever that is in the world. We won’t rest until they’re all home and, like Jeffery, reunited with their families.”

Nigerian Interior Minister, Hamadou Souley, said that Woodke and Dubois had been freed from the hands of JNIM, a West Africa-based affiliate of al-Qaeda, after several months of work by the country’s authorities to secure their release.

The work of JEMED (Youth With A Mission) in Abalak, Niger is that it uses a holistic approach to development. It demonstrates the Christian faith by helping to meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of the community.

Tearfund, the aid agency, is a Christian international development and humanitarian organisation with more than 50 years experience. It can be found in over 50 countries worldwide and also in partnership with communities, churches and local organisations.

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