The Catholic community in Nigeria and beyond has commended the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army for their successful rescue of Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina and several other kidnap victims held by Boko Haram insurgents and criminal gangs.
Reverend Father Afina, a Nigerian priest who served in the Archdiocese of Anchorage in Alaska, U.S. from 2017 to 2024, was abducted on June 1, 2025 while traveling along the Liman Kara–Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State.
The priest, alongside 10 women, was rescued on Monday during a coordinated security operation by DSS operatives in Borno, with tactical support from troops of the Nigerian Army.
Sources confirmed that no ransom was paid for the release of the captives.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, Most Reverend John Bakeni, hailed the professionalism, gallantry, and intelligence-led approach of the DSS and military forces involved in the operation.
Bakeni, who also serves as Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno State, described the rescue as “a moment of profound relief and joy for the Church and all lovers of peace and justice.”
“The news of Fr. Afina’s rescue after nearly two months in captivity brought immense joy to the Catholic community, both in Nigeria and abroad,” Bakeni said.
He revealed that Fr. Afina was on his way from Mubi in Adamawa State to Maiduguri when insurgents ambushed his convoy near a military checkpoint. The attackers reportedly launched a rocket-propelled grenade at one of the vehicles, killing one passenger and abducting others.
The Bishop called for continued collaboration between security agencies and communities to defeat insurgency and other threats to national peace.
Meanwhile, the DSS in Zamfara State, in a similar joint operation with Nigerian Army troops, rescued 32 kidnap victims from the Shinkafi axis of the State.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the victims, comprising 27 women and five boys, had spent between two and four months in captivity.
The victims were reportedly rescued from makeshift camps hidden in forested areas and were later handed over to the Zamfara State government for medical attention and documentation.
The dual rescue operations reflect growing inter-agency cooperation in Nigeria’s ongoing war against terrorism and armed banditry.
Written with reports from Zagazola Makama