Catholic priest Father Alphonsus Afina, recently freed from captivity, has shared an account of his 51-day ordeal in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) after being kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in northeastern Nigeria. 

On June 1, 2025, Father Afina was travelling from Mubi in Adamawa State to Maiduguri for a diocesan workshop when his convoy was ambushed near a military checkpoint at Limankara. A rocket-propelled grenade struck one of the vehicles, killing a passenger and triggering chaos.

Armed militants emerged from the roadside bushes, opening fire on travelers.
“I abandoned my vehicle and ran toward the checkpoint,” Afina recalled. “But armed men on motorcycles chased me down, pointed guns at me, and forced me to surrender.”

He was stripped of his belongings, beaten severely suffering an eye injury and forced onto a motorcycle between two armed men.

Father Afina and other captives were taken deep into the Gwoza mountains, a notorious Boko Haram stronghold. His car and others were looted and set ablaze. The priest was held in a cramped room with four other captives, under constant guard.

“My eye was swollen and discharged liquid for three weeks,” he said. “Three weeks into captivity, military airstrikes shook our location. I couldn’t sleep, fearing I’d be killed.”

Among the victims was Zion Japhet, a staff member of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), who was killed during the ambush.

On July 21, after nearly two months in captivity, Father Afina and 10 women were rescued in a joint operation by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army. No ransom was paid.

The Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri, John Bakeni, hailed the rescue as “a moment of profound relief and joy,” calling it a miracle given the deadly nature of such abductions.

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