A Nigerian priest was abducted and forced to march barefoot for days
A Nigerian priest who endured abduction by armed insurgents, a grueling barefoot march spanning days, and over a month in chains is now sharing his journey of healing, hoping to aid others who have faced similar ordeals.
Fr. Stephen Ojapah, author of Tears and Torture: 33 Days in Kidnappers Den, reflected on his traumatic experience during a Religious Freedom Roundtable discussion on Tuesday. He recounted the events of May 2022, the night of his abduction in Nigeria’s Katsina state.
Seeking refuge at a parish with Fr. Oliver Oparah and two others, Ojapah was confronted by insurgents, believed to be a jihadist faction that had splintered from Boko Haram.
When the assailants demanded to know who the priest was, Ojapah stepped forward. “I said, ‘I am the priest,'” he recalled. “I pleaded with them, ‘Please, I know you came for me. Let the other three go and take me instead.'”
Despite his plea to spare his companions, the insurgents seized all four and subjected them to a harrowing two-day march. With no time to put on shoes, Ojapah endured the journey barefoot, his feet bloodied and his strength waning.
Source: christianpost.com
