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Close Topic OptionsFour Nigerian Lds Missionaries Kidnapped
Four Nigerian Lds Missionaries Kidnapped - Mormon Doctrine Studies - Posted: 22nd Feb, 2007 - 3:25am
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Church leaders say they don
Four Nigerian Lds Missionaries Kidnapped
This is so unfortunate! I hope they release them safely. They were kidnapped from their apartment last Saturday. Today is Wednesday:
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| Missionaires kidnapped Four missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are being held hostage in Nigeria this morning. Church leaders say they don't know who kidnapped them, but say local tribal leaders are in contact with the hostage-takers. "They really revere the missionaries, they'll let them go. I don't think this kidnapping is going to last long." The four young missionaries are all Nigerian citizens and are serving in the Port Harcourt Mission. Church leaders issued a statement Tuesday: "Abductions have recently increased in this troubled, oil-rich region, but hostages are generally released unharmed. We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter." Kidnappers have taken dozens of foreign workers since January, as violence has increased. An American worker was released late last Saturday in the southern oil region. Nigeria is a land of incredible contrasts -- rich in natural beauty and natural resources, the 6th largest producer of light crude oil in the world. The country exports two million barrels a day, but the people do not benefit. Most live in abject poverty. Anne Pingree, LDS Church, Gen. Relief Society Presidency: "The country could be very wealthy if the resources, the revenue was spread across all of the people, but it isn't." George Pingree, Former Mission President: "And I think that's why these missionaries may have been kidnapped, because of the frustration of the people. They see they're not getting ahead, they are not seeing any of the fruits of the oil labor." ... |
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| Four Mormon missionaries, all Nigerian young men, were abducted from their apartment in Port Harcourt, Nigeria Saturday and are being held hostage. While LDS Church officials would not comment today on the captors' demands, they said they are optimistic that ongoing negotiations will resolve the matter soon. The abductions came amid escalating violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, which prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel warning on Jan. 19. Heeding the warning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took care to move American and European missionaries - less than five missionary couples - to safer ground. Some moved closer to the temple in nearby Aba, while others relocated to different parts of west Africa. The LDS Church singled out American and European missionaries for transfers because they are the ones most likely to be mistaken for oil company workers, who have been targeted for hostage taking. Since the start of the year, more than 70 oil company employees have been abducted, LDS Church officials said Tuesday in an exclusive interview. What's surprising about this situation, beyond the fact that missionaries were targeted for the first time, is that the captors took their own said LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard, chairman of the missionary executive council. And while some Nigerians may have gripes about the outsiders getting rich off their country's resources, these four hostages are simply "doing the work of the Lord," Ballard added." |
https://www.sltrib.com/lds/ci_5266944
We know there is an unwritten policy of the Church to not pay ransom demands, I wonder how they will handle this?
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Kidnapped Missionaries Lds Nigerian Four
The Church released an official statement:
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| SALT LAKE CITY 20 February 2007 "Four young missionaries, all Nigerian citizens, serving in the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were taken as hostages and are being held near the city of Port Harcourt. "Abductions have recently increased in this troubled oil-rich region, but hostages are generally released unharmed. We are working with authorities to secure their safe return. "We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter." |
Four Nigerian Lds Missionaries Kidnapped Studies Doctrine Mormon
Update: They released the missionaries unharmed. Money was given by the Church but the reason why is not convincing to me:
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| The LDS church just wrapped up a news conference saying the missionaries are safe. There was a great deal of joy and relief and emotion at Chruch Headquarters after the four missionaries were released from their captors at about 2:30 MST. Apparently local church leaders in Nigeria worked with community and tribal leaders there in Nigeria to free them. One of the key people who was the negotiator was a local bishop named Sancho Chukuwu. He met once with the captors and he talked with the missionaries early on. They are staying at his home tonight. Apparently they are doing very well and safe. The Church did extend an amount of money to the captors, around $800 to the captors to pay for food and lodging. We don't know where the missionaries were kept. We understand they were taken directly from their apartment on Saturday. Elder M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: "We were asked to help pay for the food and the care of the missionaries, and the total cost that was involved was $810." |
https://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=916333
I mean, what type of kidnappers ask money to "cover" food and lodging for the people they kidnap?
Anyhow, I am glad they were released unharmed.
Kidnapped Missionaries Lds Nigerian Four
When I heard the number of them that were kidnapped at once I thought... that is a large number to maneuver around unless you are a very large group and moving around that many will cause a lot of commotion.
Now the next thing is this... US$810? What were they eating - food from the Hilton? What a strange case - I wonder if there will be more news about this or if it will be immediately a closed case? LDS_forever, maybe if you look for the local Nigerian paper you can get another perspective?
Kidnapped Missionaries Lds Nigerian Four
I will look for more news (so far I found no mention of the case in any Nigerian newspaper). In a country like Nigeria US$810 is a lot of money. I am wondering what they were eating? You know what, I think the Church indeed payed a ransom for these missionaries and yes, are the US$810 but of course cannot released such information because it will cause people to kidnap more missionaries.
Four Nigerian Lds Missionaries Kidnapped
No, it was entirely about money. Nigeria is going through a wave of kidnappings, the country is very rich but the riches are not spread. In recent days, they kidnapped several people. The Church knew about the problem and that's why some time ago they transfered their Europeans and American missionaries somewhere safer, nevertheless they left the locals there. What surprises me is that in areas like that, the Church usually does not allow missionaries to wear their white shirts, ties and tags.
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