Scripture Union Nigeria says its national general director, Pastor Engr. Uwem Cosmas Udoh, and seven others have been released by their abductors after being kidnapped in southeast Nigeria.
The organization announced the release in a statement expressing gratitude to God and to those who prayed and offered support during the ordeal.
“With hearts full of immense relief and profound gratitude to Almighty God, we write to express our deepest appreciation for your unwavering support during the harrowing time our brethren were held captive,” the statement said.
Scripture Union Nigeria said the abducted leaders were freed on Sunday, July 5, 2026, and are now safe.
“To the glory of God, our brethren were released on Sunday, July 5th, 2026, and are safe and healthy,” the organization stated.
Gunmen had abducted Udoh and seven others on June 14 while they were returning to Scripture Union Nigeria’s headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo state, after attending a Scripture Union Campus Fellowship Conference in Okigwe, Imo state.
Andrew Abah, director of Grace Foundation Missions International, had earlier called for prayers for their release.
A prayer alert circulated by several Evangelical ministries said the kidnapping occurred around 9 a.m. in Imo state.
Scripture Union Nigeria previously said Udoh was traveling “with seven other persons in his car, including Ven. Onyenagbagha, Pastor Gbenga and his two daughters, the driver, and Elijah, the media officer. They have not arrived Ibadan since then.”
“The last phone contact with them was at about 9 a.m., and since then all their phones have been off,” the Scripture Union stated at the time.
Following their release, Scripture Union Nigeria thanked supporters for their “faith, fervent prayers, and financial support,” saying such support gave them strength during the crisis.
“Their release is a testament to the power of collective prayer, resilience, and the sacrifices made by every member of the Union at all levels,” the statement said.
The organization also urged believers not to lose heart because of the traumatic experience, citing Psalm 34:19.
“Let no one’s heart fail because of this traumatic experience. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19),” the statement said.
Scripture Union Nigeria is a campus fellowship ministry focused on reaching students in Nigerian universities and colleges with the Gospel.
The abductors have not been publicly identified, but kidnappings have become common in Nigeria amid violence involving Fulani militia and other criminal groups.
Predominantly Muslim Fulani communities number in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel and include many clans and lineages, most of whom do not hold extremist views. However, some Fulani have embraced radical Islamist ideology, according to a 2020 report by the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief.
“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.
The report said Islamic extremist Fulani militia have attacked farming communities in Nigeria’s North-Central region, where Christians are more common than in the North-East and North-West, killing hundreds of people, especially Christians.
Nigeria recorded more Christian deaths than any other country from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, according to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period, 72% were Nigerians, up from 3,100 the previous year.
