Moses Oyeleke, a pastor with the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners’ Chapel) in Maiduguri, Borno state, has spoken on his ordeal with Boko Haram at the Sambisa forest.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Oyeleke and his assistant, Abraham Amuta, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, were seized along Chibok road, on March 13, 2019.
They were on a church committee established to distribute relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Oyeleke, on Monday, told Journalists at the office of Usman Kadafur, Borno deputy governor that Boko Haram tried to convert him to Islam.
While narrating his ordeal said “We were on our way to Chibok when they caught us and took us to Yale; from there, they took a detour and finally took us to Sambisa”.
“It was the two of us, myself and my brother, who were not released. They have promised us that when they finish discussions, they’ll release them in December; himself and the elder sister of this girl I was released with.
“I am very happy today that we have been rescued because where we are coming from, we have come from a place of darkness to light; that is why my heart is filled with joy because I have seen my family, friends, and associates.
“I stayed peacefully with them for up to seven months. Many times they have requested me to convert to Islam, their preachers had preached to me a lot of times but you know when you have wisdom, you relate with people in a way that would not lead to quarrel.
“When they come to preach, I pay attention to everything they said and when they asked me questions about things that I know will cause problems if I respond, I always tell them I don’t know so that I don’t say things that would offend them”, the cleric recounted.
His release was reportedly facilitated by the Borno government and two non-governmental organisations – Kalthum Foundation for Peace, and Initiative for Peace Building.
