Pastor Paul Musa and his wife Ruth from northeastern Nigeria have been in Boko Haram captivity for over two years. Attempts to win their release by paying ransom have failed. A local church leader accuses the government of inaction.
Paul and Ruth Musa are in Boko Haram captivity. Screenshot from video
Paul Musa, 59, serving with the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Gamboru Ngala, Borno State, and his wife Ruth, 50, were kidnapped by Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram on 23 March 2023.
At the time of their kidnapping, Paul and Ruth had served the church for almost 30 years.
Members of the clergy are regular targets of Islamist kidnappers in northern Nigeria. Often huge ransoms are set for their release. Paying ransoms to terrorist groups is dangerous and can encourage more kidnappings, but in the absence of help from the government, some desperate Nigerians have resorted to trying to ransom their relatives.
In the case of the Musas, their family and church have been unable to raise the five-figure ransom reportedly demanded, and the kidnappers are refusing to negotiate. The government appears unable or unwilling to help. The Musa family is increasingly anxious about the couple’s wellbeing.
Threat of execution
Boko Haram released a video of Paul and his wife on 5 May 2024.
In the video, Pastor Paul said he and Ruth had been abandoned to their fate while other victims especially Muslims, had been freed. “I’m pleading with the Nigerian government to help us, we have been pleading and asking for help from them till today and we have seen nothing… we have been forgotten. Why?” he asked. “Why does the government not care for us? Is it because we are Christians?”
Again, in June 2024, Boko Haram released a video clip of Paul Musa kneeling in front of a terrorist wielding a gun.
In both videos, Pastor Musa was forced to make statements by his captors, asking the government for help and warning of his own impending execution.
Communication with kidnappers
A Nigerian partner of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) who is in contact with the family was told that Boko Haram had demanded USD 50,000 in cash as ransom for the couple.
“We do get voice messages from our parents sent to us by Boko Haram,” one of the couple’s children said. “We hear our parents… but we are not able to tell their condition from the voice calls.”
Pleas for prayer
A church leader in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, told CSI that the government seemed not to be interested in the case, and that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other church bodies had been unable to do anything.
“We can only pray and plead with other people who are able to intervene and try to save the lives of this couple that have served the Lord and the church for so many years,” he said. “We cannot abandon them.”
CSI is calling for prayers for Paul, Ruth and their family, and urges the Nigerian government to do everything necessary to rescue the Musas from Boko Haram captivity.
Paul and Ruth Musa. Musa family handout
