“I beg you in the name of God, help get me out of here. Just take a look at me. Look at my legs, I have been tied down, and beaten with my legs chained. Here, I’m alone, as there’re no other captives with me. They killed those they’ve kidnapped. Please in the name of God, help me.”
The Rev. Nuhu Iliya, chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, announced his kidnapping and asked for prayer, as did the Rev. Emmanuel Anyanwu, also a Catholic priest.
“Dear friends and beloved family in Christ, I am Revd. Fr. Emmanuel Anyanwu, and I am asking you in tears for prayers and support for my dear friend and brother priest Rev. Fr. Micah Suleiman, who is in deep suffering under the captivity of Islamic extremists,” Anyanwu said. “His only offense was being a Christian and a catholic priest.”
Zamfara State Police Command spokesman Yazid Abubakar confirmed the kidnapping of the priest.
In the 2024 WWL of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year. Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023, according to Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List (WWL) report. More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300.
Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools, and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.
This article originally appeared here.
