TheCable

Bulus Yakura, a pastor of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) who was kidnapped by Boko Haram, has been released.

Yakura was kidnapped in Borno state on December 24, 2020, after the insurgents attacked Pemi village, Chibok. Seven people died in the attack.

His family members and the EYN church were said to have been negotiating his release since last week.

Last week, a video showing Yakura pleading with the federal government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to save him, had circulated on social media.

In the video, he said his abductors had threatened to kill him at the end of the week, which meant he had until Wednesday to appeal for help.

“I have been given only seven days to appeal for assistance that will help me out of this torture,” he said.

“If truly you want to rescue me from this untold suffering and threat to life, then you have to act fast.

“I am also calling on the EYN president to help mobilise help that will rescue me, and also pray for me so that God will make things easy for me here.”

During Tuesday’s plenary, Ahmadu Jaha, a lawmaker representing Damboa/Gwoza/Chibok federal constituency, had urged the federal government to secure Yakura’s release.

The pastor was, however, released by his abductors on Wednesday evening.

A source who spoke with the freed pastor quoted him as saying: “I’m happy I’m free. I thank the authorities who intervened. I also thank my abductors for not killing me.”

The pastor is presently at the Department of State Services (DSS) command in Maiduguri.