It’s been six and a half years since Alice Loksha was abducted by Islamic militants Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). She had dedicated her life to helping others, working as a nurse with UNICEF in a displacement camp of 60,000 people in north east Nigeria. In the eyes of the extremist group, that meant she was a target.
On 1 March 2018, Alice was taken in a violent attack, along with Saifura Khorsa and Hauwa Liman, Nigerian midwives who worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Saifura and Hauwa were killed. The Islamic militants released a video saying that, because the two women were Muslims, they ‘should have known the consequences of working for international agencies,’ reports Business Day Nigeria.
Alice is a Christian, and the militants’ video explains that that is why she was spared murder. Her treatment was still brutal, though. Alice was forced into ‘marriage’ twice, with two different ISWAP commanders. In Alice’s first forced marriage, she gave birth to a son called Mohammad, who escaped alongside his mother. After this first ‘husband’ was killed in a gunfight with Nigerian troops in 2021, Alice was forcibly married again. When Alice was taken in 2018, she was married and already a mother of two.
Courageous escape
Alice Loksha managed to escape on 24 October 2024, and encountered Nigerian troops on 29 October. A joint task force is in operation, to locate and rescue people who have been abducted by jihadist groups – a threat that is escalating in the region.
Alice’s escape is an answer to long-prayed prayers, and a testament to her resilient courage. Her future is complicated, though. A UN source shares: “We have a delicate situation in our hands because her husband had remarried after her kidnap, thinking she was already dead, and now here she is with another man’s child.”
Pray against stigma
“We sadly see many stories such as Alice’s.”
Open Doors partner
The UN source adds they are worried about the stigma Loksha and her son would face upon returning to her family and community. An Open Doors field partner and trauma care worker says, “We sadly see many stories such as Alice’s. There is a lot of shame and stigma around Christian women who were kidnapped and forced into marriage. When they finally escape or are released with their children, they do not just return to their previous lives. Not only do they sometimes face rejection from their husbands, but often their wider communities.
“Alice and her children will need ongoing emotional, physical and spiritual support if she is to be integrated back into society.”
At one point, a few years ago, Alice Loksha was being held captive in the same location as Leah Sharibu. Many Open Doors supporters have faithfully prayer for Leah since she was kidnapped – only a couple of weeks before Alice was taken. She was a schoolgirl and refused to renounce her faith in Jesus, and so was kept captive when the other schoolgirls were released. There has been no recent news of her, sadly, and her family still encourage supporters to keep praying for her release.
please pray
- Join in thanking God for the answer to prayer of Alice Loksha’s escape from captivity
- For Alice and her son to be united with her family and community, without stigma, covered with God’s peace
- For Leah Sharibu and all who remain in captivity to know God’s strengthening love and Fatherly care.
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