Source: www.persecution.org
Date: May 5, 2023
Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — Two more Chibok schoolgirls have been rescued after more than nine years of captivity. The two survivors now in their 20s, Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus, were forced into marriage with the Boko Haram fighters who captured them.
Major General Ibrahim Ali, leader of the Nigerian military operation against the country’s northeastern extremist insurgency, said the two women were rescued by Nigerian soldiers and reunited with their families.
Maltha told the Daily Trust that she was forced to marry three terrorists during her nine-year captivity. She was eight months pregnant during her rescue and delivered a healthy baby boy on April 28.
Christian communities within Chibok have been faced with ongoing persecution since 2014 when about 300 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram.
The Islamic terrorist group has killed tens of thousands of Christians in Nigeria and displaced millions to discard western influence and impose strict Islamic Sharia law. They target those who do not share their radical interpretation of Islam, often attacking villages and forcefully converting Christians, other religious minorities, and Muslims who they believe do not appropriately adhere to the teachings of Muhammed. While the Nigerian military repeatedly insists that the group has been defeated, attacks are ongoing.
HOW TO PRAY: Please pray for the end of the Boko Haram insurgency and for the Lord to soften the hearts of militants, who all too often are children forced to partake in heinous acts of violence. Please also pray for those who have been victims of terrorism, for the Lord to heal them and strengthen the church amid persecution. Pray for the quick return of all those who remain in captivity. Pray for Boko Haram abductions to cease.