Bulus Yakuru, a pastor who was abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents last Christmas Eve in Borno State, has cried out to President Muhammadu Buhari from the terrorists’ den, begging that he had been given a one-week ultimatum to live.

Yakuru, in a video recorded by the insurgents and released on Wednesday that he was in pain and would like to be reunited with his family members, church, and relatives.

The Boko Haram struck Pemi village in Borno, only about 20 Kilometres from Chibok, on December 24, 2020, during which the pastor was taken away.

Chibok was where the Boko Haram abducted hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014 – some of whom have yet to be released till date.

The terrorists in the video had started a countdown over Yakuru’s life, whom they promised to kill if their demands were not met.

They killed three nurses and a worker with the Action Against Hunger, a humanitarian organisation, last year, following similar threats and to the condemnation of both national and international human rights organisations.

The Abubakar Shekau-led faction of the terror group abducted Yakuru and had been making life unbearable for him.

In the video obtained by a platform, Humangle, Yakuru identified himself and pleaded with Nigeria’s President, the Borno State Governor, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, the umbrella body of Christians in the country, to intervene and secure his release.

He said,

I’m calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Borno to help me because I have been given a one-week ultimatum from today. If you want me alive, I beg you in your capacity as President, the governor, and our local government chairman to save me from this suffering.

Today is the last day I will have the opportunity to call on you in your capacity as my parents and relatives in the country. Anyone who has the intention should help and save me. Please, release me from this pain.

Same as Yakuru, Garba Idris, an employee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has also spent close to two months in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists.

Idris was abducted by the terrorists on Saturday, January 2 along the Damaturu-Maiduguri Road, in Borno State.

The insurgents had attacked some commuters near Matari village between Minok and Jakana Road around 8:30 am.

The terrorists had also ambushed vehicles conveying commuters near Matari village between Minok and Jakana highway, and the Boko Haram fighters held Idris, aka Alooma, a Senior Protection Assistant with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, during the attack.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.