The Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, John Bakeni, has lauded the Department of State Services (DSS) and troops of the Nigerian Army for rescuing Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina and 42 other victims of Boko Haram abduction during a separate operations in Borno and Zamfara states.
Reverend Father Afina was kidnapped on June 1 by Boko Haram insurgents. His kidnapping in Gworza, Borno State, hit global headlines, as he had served as a priest in Alaska from September 2017 to 2024.
Kidnapped alongside the priest were an unspecified number of fellow travellers on the Liman Kara-Gwoza road in Gwoza LGA of Borno State.