Sixty of the Chibok girls who were released in a prisoner swap in early May were among those who have been held in prayer by Church of the Brethren congregations since 2014. Each of those congregations has received a letter from the Church of the Brethren.
Continued prayer is requested for the approximately 106 Chibok girls who remain in captivity, and for the hundreds of other children and adults who have been abducted by Boko Haram over recent years.
The 82 girls released last month were among the more than 270 abducted from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, on April 14, 2014. The majority were from families who attend congregations of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), although Muslim as well as Christian girls were kidnapped. When EYN asked for prayer and fasting, a letter was sent to the Church of the Brethren congregations in the US and Puerto Rico assigning a girl’s name to each church for prayer.
A few girls escaped almost immediately, and within the first two weeks 57 had escaped. In 2016, another escaped, one was killed by her captors, one was rescued by the Nigerian military, and the Nigerian government negotiated the release of 21 with help from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government.
Here is a listing of the girls released in May who had been assigned to congregations for prayer (listing provided by the Global Mission and Service staff):
Awa Abge — Community, Guernsey, Spring Branch, Carson Valley, Waynesboro, Roanoke Oak Grove
Naomi Adamu — Goshen City, Living Peace, Shanks, Maple Grove, Lebanon
**Christiana Ali may be Christy Yahi who was prayed for by Koinonia, N. Winona, Akron Springfield, Hatfield, Johnson City, Oakton
Ruth Amos — Pleasant Chapel, Stone Bridge, Portland Peace, Pottstown, Mount Airy First, Crummet Run
Saratu Ayuba — Yellow Creek, Onekama, Chambersburg, Salisbury, Walker’s Chapel
Na’omi Bitrus — Peace, Canton, Bear Creek, Brownsville, Eaton, Mount Pleasant, Lirio de los Valles, Smithfield, Crab Run, Danville Emmanuel, Brookside, New Hope
Rahila Bitrus — South Ferncreek, Quinter, Zion Hill, Johnstown Westmont, Blue Ridge, Salkum
Abigail Bukar — Bremen, Sanford, Weston, Harmonyville, Hopewell, South Mill Creek
Yana Bukar — Columbia City, Lost and Found, Ambler, E. Cocalico, Trinity
Maryamu Bulama — Walnut, Downsville, Living Stream, Schuylkill Big Dam, Dranesville, Onego
Muwa Daniel — Living Faith, Skyridge, Nuevo Amanecer, Amaranth, Mtn. View McGaheysville
Filo Dauda — Rock Community, Edgewood, Woodworth, Buffalo Valley, Columbia Furnace, Fellowship
Mary Dauda — Bakersfield, Union Center, Concord Living Faith, Elizabethtown, Scalp Level, Henry Fork
Aisha Ezekial — Church of the Living Savior, Peru, Mt. Carmel, Fairchance, La Casa del Amigo, Pine Ridge
**Liatu Habila may be Liyatu Habitu who was prayed for by Hurricane Creek, Glade Valley, White Cottage, Green Tree, Mt. Pleasant, Capon Chapel
Lydia Habila — Community, University Park, Cedar Grove, Diehl’s Crossroads, Trinity, Goshen
Febi Haruna — Franklin Grove, Sam’s Creek, Potsdam, Free Spring, Palmyra Fellowship, Mathias
**Tobita Hellapa may be Tabitha Hyelampa who was prayed for by Santa Ana Principe de Paz, W. Eel River, Tokahookaadi, Greencastle, Travelers Rest, Mt. Olivet
Ladi Ibrahim — Anderson, Meadow Branch, Pleasant Plains, Germantown, Pine Grove, Bean Settlement
Hanatu Ishaku – Glendale, Bethany, Eden, W. Green Tree, Woodbury, Oak Grove S.
Ruth Ishaku — Freeport, Bethesda, Living Peace, Bear Run, Wakemans Grove, Mt. View
Hauwa Ishaya — Little Pine, Zion, Center, Raven Run, Emmanuel
Rebeca Joseph — Romine, Union Bridge, Mohican, Newville, Harrisonburg First, Rough Run
Esther Joshua — Decatur, Locust Grove, Silver Creek, Mechanicsburg, Mount Bethel, Oakvale
**Yagana Joshua may be Yana Joshua who was prayed for by Ankeny, Rock House, Defiance, Alpha and Omega, Summit, Pine Grove-Pocahontas
Ruth Kollo — Live Oak, Pine Creek, New Haven, Renacer-Ephrata, New Fairview, Masons Cove
**Kawa Luka may be Kauna Luka who was prayed for by Lower Deer Creek, Shalom Ann Arbor, Altoona First, Mechanic Grove, Mt. Zion Linville
Na’omi Luka — Fredericksburg Hillcrest, Manor, Oakland, Mount Zion Rd., Jeters Chapel, Bowden Family Worship Center
Laraba Maman — Venice, Topeka, Mack Memorial, Center Hill, Bethlehem, Ellisforde
Asabe Manu — New Hope, Buck Creek, Big Sky, Bermudian, Fairview, Roanoke Summerdean
Hauwa Musa — Polo, Thurmont, W. Alexandria, Dunnings Creek, Nineveh, Bethel
Maryamu Musa — Panther Creek, Beaver Dam, Prices Creek, Heidelberg, Smith Mtn. Lake, Brake
Palmata Musa — Neighborhood, Ridgely, Good Shepherd, Pleasant Ridge, Hollywood, Walnut Grove
Lugwa Mutah — Camp Creek, Woodgrove Brethren Christian Parish, Little Swatara, Robinson, Hiner
Hauwa Nkeki — Indianapolis Northview, Root River, Montgomery, Sugar Run, Mill Creek
Racheal Nkeki — Girard, Fairview, Ross, Mohrsville, Ewing, New Dale
Grace Paul — Oak Grove, Danville, Sugarcreek East, Nanty Glo, Red Oak Grove, Shiloh
Jummai Paul — Jacksonville, Osage, Bristolville, Huntingdon Stone, Arlington, Woodbridge
Deborah Peter — Miami First, Parsons, Happy Corner, Johnstown Roxbury, Good Shepherd Blacksburg, Richland Valley
Rhoda Peter — Community Waterford, New Life, Huntsdale, Providence, Pleasant View
Naomi Philimon — Virden, Westernport, Big Creek, Palmyra, Fairview Mt. Clinton, Harpers Chapel
Tabitha Pogu — La Verne, New Paris, Brummetts Creek, Ephrata, Wyomissing, Cedar Grove Ruckersville
Luggwa Samuel — Panora, Baltimore Dundalk, Reading, Parkview, Koinonia Fellowship, Shady Grove
Yanke Shittima — Eglise des Freres Haitiens, Newton, Lick Creek, Indiana, Mt. Lebanon, Meadow Mills
Tabitha Silas — Ivester, Fairview, Greenville, Conestoga, Buena Vista Stone, Cedar Grove Brandywine
Kwanta Simon — Paradise, Blissville, Mill Creek, Maple Glen, Sierra Bayamon, Barren Ridge
Rifkatu Soloman — La Place, Gortner Union, Lake Breeze, Monroeville, Ferrum, Brick
Hana Stephen — Pomona Fellowship, Portland, Enders, Rayman, Rio Prieto, Arbor Hill
Solomi Titus — Living Light of Peace, Wabash, Light of the Gospel, Harrisburg First, Hawthorne, New Bethel
Esther Usman — Los Angeles, Central Evangelical, Manchester, Peak Creek, Erie Community United, York Second, Selma
Maimuna Usman — Rockford, Pipe Creek, W. Milton, Mt. Olivet, Garbers, Petersburg Memorial
Maryamu Wavi — Bowmont, Trinity, Bethel, Clover Creek, Daleville, Smith Creek
Mairama Yahaya — Cherry Grove, Laurel Glen, Sidney Trinity, Florin, Pleasant Dale, Harness Run
Na’omi Yahonna — Bethel, Poplar Grove, Haitian First New York, Indian Creek, Mtn. Valley, Round Hill
Hadiza Yakubu — Pyrmont, Florence, Bedford, Richland, Manassas
Juliana Yakubu — Bradenton Good Shepherd, Lenexa Fellowship, Bellefontaine, Sugar Grove, French Broad, Parkway
Maryamu Yakubu — Fruitland, Hagerstown, New Carlisle, Beech Run, Forest Chapel, Friends Run
Mary Yakubu — Elkhart Valley, Hope, Brothersvalley, Roaring Spring First, Valley Pike
Margret Yama — Fort Wayne Agape, New Haven, Burnham, Middlecreek, Moneta Lake Side
Saraya Yanga — Burnettsville, Adrian, Altoona Juniata, Quakertown First, Bethel Keezletown, Wiley Ford
Naomi Zakaria — Bethany, Community, Maple Grove, Way of Hope, Limestone, Waynesboro
*This number has differed in various media reports. The number of names in the list shared for prayer with the Church of the Brethren did not include the 57 who escaped in the first two weeks after the abduction.
**These names differ slightly from the names in the original list shared for prayer.
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