A few weeks after revealing the priest, persecution watchdog has released positive results for the ordeal that many fear to reach a fatal conclusion, as he was accused of Nigerian terrorists.
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Joel Verdkamp, head of international communications at Christian Solidarity International (CSI), previously told CBN News that the Rev. Daniel Alfonsas Affina, 41, was filmed on June 1, 2025, during a trip from Mbi to Maiduguri.
Veldkamp, who said the priest was a partner in the CSI and had been on a mission to support persecution at the time of his abduction, said the faith leader had been released.
“On July 21, he was released and ten women who had been held hostage by Boko Haram joined this Muslim terrorist group, who had been terrorizing Nigerian Christians for 10 and a half years,” he said. “This is an incredible answer to our prayers, the prayers of many followers and supporters around the world who have prayed for this man.”
Woldkamp expressed his gratitude for the priest’s safe return and said he is now returning to his parish rest and recovery, but no specific details have been made public.
“It’s just… so much that you can say because it’s a delicate matter,” he said. “However, he was imprisoned for 51 days, then on July 21 he was… handed over to the Nigerian security forces.
Persecution Watchdog says it was a “peaceful extradition” and it is unclear why it led to the release, but Affina is safe despite the need for unspecified medical procedures.
“He’s recovering,” Verdkamp added. “We are said to be very energetic, but now we are seeking privacy as his family is trying to recover from this horrifying ordeal.”
Affina supports assistance to Nigerian Christians who have been kicked out of their homes by Boko Haram, and the CSI believes it is no coincidence that a prominent faith leader has been taken in one of those missions.
Verdkamp said Boko Haram’s mission is to “establish an Islamic State in Nigeria and drive all Christians out of Nigeria.”
“Around half of those people are Christians,” he said. “But in northern Nigeria, it is a very Muslim region, where Boko Haram is the most active, where he has managed to kill thousands of Christians and drive more people through the area.”
However, this is just one of the problem areas of Nigeria.
“Essentially, there are two conflict zones where Christians are really under attack,” he said. “It was originally where (Affina) operated in the area of Maiduguri, northeast of Nigeria. It is the hometown of Boko Haram, where these horrific church bombings, mass acceleration of women and children, and terrorist attacks of all kinds are designed to drive out the Christian population.”
Veldkamp said Nigeria has a strong involvement in CSI and there are other problem areas where persecution is even more pronounced.
“Militia drawn from Muslim Fulani ethnic groups are attacking Christian villages, massacreating the people who live there and oust survivors,” he said. “Almost every week, another village in this central belt in Nigeria is attacked.”
As previously reported, Affina is the new partner who returned to Nigeria from Alaska in 2024. He worked throughout the US state for seven years and felt that despite the dangers and risks to Christians, he was called to return to Nigeria.
“He chose to return to Nigeria and serve his people,” Veldkamp said previously. “While he was in Alaska, he was taking special courses in counseling and treatment with the intention of helping Nigerians who had been hurt by these attacks.”
Persecution continues to be a horrifying issue in Nigeria, with almost half of the population being Christian and the other half being Muslim. Islamic extremism drives most of the murder and confusion, with the northern part of the country being mostly Muslim and experiencing the most intense anti-Christian sentiment and attacks.
“Nigeria is the most deadly place in the world and will become a Christian,” Veldkamp said. “Because of their faith in Nigeria, far more Christians are killed than any other country in the world.”
Veldkamp hopes the US will put more pressure on the Nigerian government. One such step in that direction is for the US Department of State to relist Nigeria to a country on a specific list of concerns, a list of countries with religious freedom restrictions. The Trump administration added Nigeria before the nation was removed under former President Joe Biden’s term.
As CBN News has been extensively researched, Nigeria has been consistently discovered by Watchdog as the most deadly country for its followers.
“We have recorded the murders of around 10,000 Christians, mainly in the north and central parts of the country,” Isaac Six, Advocacy Advocacy Superintendent (GCR) of Global Christian Relief, told CBN News earlier this year. “And again, it is being led by systemic violence committed and led by groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa and subsequently the armed groups.”
Ultimately, Isaac said that American Christians need to understand the extent of their fear.
“American churches really have to hear how horrifying some of these stories are,” he said. “It’s not just violence. It’s not just murder. It’s cruel atrocities. And frankly, the church has to wake up to some of this. Only a small portion of American believers even recognize what’s going on.”
Other persecution trackers have also extensively documented the severity of the issue. Open Doors World Watchlist 2025 placed Nigeria in the rankings of countries where anti-Christian persecution and discrimination is the worst.
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