This week, one of two Christian workers tempted in northwest Nigeria on May 21, was released, the ministry leader said.
Moses Solomon of the Nigeria-based ministry said Ojo John and Silvanus Abu of the Noop Mission, who worked among the people of Zabalmawa, primarily Muslim, in Kebubi, were accused of from the mission station around 10pm. John, 33, also known as Maram Yahaya, was released on Monday (May 26), Solomon said in his prayer notice that day.
“I received a call from Sokoto State at 8:09am today, and it was Malam Yahaya (Ojo John),” Solomon said. “He is alive, released and is currently on the road to safety. This is the Lord’s way, and it is in our eyes!”
Silvanus Abu, 26, is also known as Malam Abu.
“While we are rejoicing in our trembling hearts, we will remain in an urgent prayer for the safe return of Malam Abu, who is still captured,” Solomon said. “This partial release gives us hope that God, who has begun this great rescue, will make it perfect.”
The conditions for John’s release have not been revealed. Both evangelists are Native Nigerians, John of Kogi and Abu of Niger.
Solomon sent a prayer notice on May 23rd. He said he was last seen on the night of May 21, after two workers left apprenticeship classes at 10pm.
“After a few days of silence, we can confirm that they have been accused of unknown people,” he said. “Early today, at 1:44am, I, Moses Solomon, received a horrifying call from the adductors. Mallam Yahaya and Mallam Abu are not OK. You should stop searching for them. If you hear their search again, you will carry their bodies.”
Both John and Abu are faithfully serving on the Knoop mission by dedicated young men, living at sacrifices, the light of Christ is not known to him, and sacrifices to disciple his disciples.
“We’re not attached,” he said in a statement on May 23. “Our hope lies in the Lord who watches over Himself. We call upon the world of Christ to believe in God’s salvation and cultivate prayers at your personal and corporate altar.”
The Zabalmawa people, primarily Muslim, are one of the few reaching groups in northwest Nigeria.
“I declare Psalm 91 and Isaiah 43 more than these precious brothers. I pray for wisdom for all who are involved in their recovery,” Solomon said. “Pray for the softening of the hearts of the prisoners, and pray for God’s protection and strength for missionaries.”
Christians in northwestern Nigeria have long faced persecution from Muslim terrorist groups, including Lakrawa and Pastor Fulani.
Known as Zalbarmawa in Nigeria, Zalma has a population of around 169,000, of which 93% are Muslim. Approximately 3% of the population is identified as Christians, and only 2% are evangelicals.
Muslims in Zarbalmawa mix traditional animism with beliefs and practices, and according to the Joshua Project, often participate in spiritual possession, spiritual worship and magical rituals.
“The cult is led by priests obsessed with evil spirits,” it says. “Zama believes that these priests have healing powers. Zama believes there are several different types of spirits: those who bring illness and death, ghosts and “cold” spirits, and people who control the powers of nature.”
According to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, Nigeria has remained one of the most dangerous places for Christians. According to WWL, of the 4,476 Christians killed for faith around the world during the reporting period, 3,100 (69%) were in Nigeria.
“The scale of anti-Christian violence in this country is already at the highest possible level under the global watch list methodology,” the report states.
In the north-central zone of the country, where Christians are more common than they are in the northeast and northwest, Islamic extremist Fulani militias attack farm communities, killing hundreds of Christians and, above all, hundreds of Christians. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State (ISWAP) of West African states are also active in northern states in the country where federal control is poor and Christians and their communities continue to be targeted for attacks, sexual violence and the killing of disability. Ransom aid has been increasing significantly in recent years.
The violence spreads across southern states, with new jihadist terrorist group Lakrawa appearing in the northwest, armed with sophisticated weapons and an extremist agenda, WWL noted. Lakrawa is affiliated with the expansionist al-Qaeda rebellion Jamaa Nusrat ul Islam Wa al-Muslimin, or Zinim, which is derived from Mali.
Nigeria ranked 7th in the 2025 WWL list of 50 worst countries for Christians.
