"I Denied Christianity": UNIJOS Graduate Recounts 11-Day Kidnap Ordeal

• A University of Jos graduate recounted how fear forced him to deny being a Christian while in captivity after suspected kidnappers abducted him
• John Arum Azi said the abductors repeatedly questioned him about his religion and later discovered he was a Christian after he accidentally shouted “Jesus”
• The victim spent 11 days in captivity in Zamfara State before regaining freedom after ransom negotiations involving his family and sympathisers

A graduate of the University of Jos, John Arum Azi, has narrated how fear for his life pushed him to deny being a Christian after he was abducted by suspected kidnappers who allegedly deceived him with a fake job opportunity.

Azi shared his experience during a church testimony in Tudun Wada, Jos, where he recounted the physical abuse and interrogation he faced during his captivity in a forest camp in Zamfara state.

According to Tribune, he said the kidnappers repeatedly questioned him about his religious identity while firing gunshots around the camp, leaving him terrified.

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UNIJOS graduate recounts kidnap experience

According to him, the fear of being killed forced him to hide his Christian identity when the abductors first questioned him.

“They were doing me some interview, asking me, ‘Am I Arna? Am I Christian?’” he said.

“To be honest, because I’m scared of death… they were shooting anyhow,” he recounted. “So, I told them I’m pagan.”

Azi explained that the situation later changed after the kidnappers discovered he had not been truthful about his faith. He said the revelation happened unexpectedly during a severe beating inside the camp.

“They beat me mercilessly to the extent that I thought I could not survive it,” he said.

“During the beating, I suddenly shouted ‘Jesus.’ I don’t even know when I shouted it.”

He said the kidnappers immediately reacted after hearing him call the name of Jesus and confronted him about denying his religion.

Victim speaks on forest captivity

“They were like, ‘Jesus?’ So at that moment, I just confessed. I told them if they will kill me, they should kill me, I’m a Christian,” he stated.

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According to Azi, the abductors later began calling him “Pastor” throughout the remaining period of his captivity.

The graduate said prayer became his major source of comfort while he remained in the kidnappers’ den.

“The prayer I kept praying there was, ‘Oh our Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven,’” he said.

Azi disclosed that he travelled from Jos to Kaduna on April 11 after receiving what he believed was a welding job offer. He later discovered the arrangement was a trap set by kidnappers.

He was subsequently taken to Zamfara state, where he spent 11 days in captivity before regaining freedom after ransom negotiations involving family members and other supporters.

Nigerian military kills top terror commanders

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that troops of Operation HADIN KAI repelled a coordinated terrorist assault on Mallam Fatori in Nigeria’s Northeast, neutralising more than 80 insurgents, including several senior commanders, after hours of intense fighting.

Military authorities said the attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when armed fighters advanced in large numbers on foot and attempted to breach troop positions in Sector 3.

Source: Legit.ng