Nigeria: 308 captives freed in “largest single-day” rescue
By Lyndsey Koh | August 12, 2026
Nigeria (MNN) – In Nigeria, 308 people held captive for months are finally free. They were kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen and other armed bandits in separate attacks across northern Nigeria and held in a forest. President Bola Tinubu called it the largest single-day rescue operation ever carried out by Nigerian security forces.
Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says abductions in the region really began with the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency and continued with Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacking mostly Christian farming communities.
“Now, the third wave of kidnapping has been more recent, and that literally has just come down to this group of criminal activity bandits. They view the kidnappings as economic opportunity – holding these young people ransom and getting money for them.”
While security forces may spearhead rescue missions, brave Nigerian Christians supported by Unknown Nations are addressing the terror plague by carefully and courageously spreading God’s Word.
“People groups like the Hausa, Fulani, and Kanuri are 99% Muslim. That is where Unknown Nations works through our network of indigenous leaders, distributing our solar-powered audio Bibles – because most of these people are oral learners,” says Kelley.
“[We are] doing strategic humanitarian projects because there’s a tremendous lack of water and medical needs in those communities, and when you come and be the hands and feet of Jesus, that opens the door for Gospel expression. Also, we have a tremendous amount of leadership training. All of it is intended with the end result being indigenous church planting movements.”
Kelley says ministry in northern Nigeria is especially urgent because of the enormous gap between the Christian population in the south and the Muslim population in the north.
“All of the Christians are almost exclusively populated in southern Nigeria. Those people without access to the Gospel, the 100 million Muslims…live in northern Nigeria. That is the mission field that needs to be our highest priority.”
He says the persecution facing Christians in northern Nigeria also makes prayer especially important.
“There’s more people killed for their faith in Jesus in northern Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. Those are the kind of things we need to understand when we’re praying to the Lord to impact Nigeria.”
Pray for Gospel breakthroughs among northern Nigeria’s Muslims. Ask God to strengthen Christians facing persecution and violence. Thank the Lord for rescuing hundreds from captivity.
Header image: The captives were rescued from a forested wilderness area, much like this representative photo from Okene, Kogi in northern Nigeria. Insurgents take advantage of forest cover to evade security forces. (Photo courtesy of Francis Tokede/Unsplash)
Original Article Posted Here: https://www.mnnonline.org/news/nigeria-308-captives-freed-in-largest-single-day-rescue/