“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
Luke 12:32
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Pakistan – Saba Shafique rescued two months after abduction
Your prayers have been answered with the rescue of Saba Shafique from her abductor after being held captive for two months. We rejoice and give thanks that Saba has now returned to her family after her ordeal (see Prayer Focus Update, March 2025).
Saba, who is in her early teens, had been held captive by a Muslim man, Muhammad Ali, ever since she left her home in Walton Model Colony, Lahore, Pakistan, on 5 January. Ali forced her to convert to Islam and marry him, even though he is already married. Ali, also from Walton Model Colony, is known to Saba’s family.
Her family was shocked to receive an “Islam acceptance certificate” to confirm her allegedly voluntary conversion, as well as a marriage certificate that falsely claimed Saba to be more than 18 years old and therefore of an age to be legally married.
Legal representatives of the family accompanied police officers on the 36-hour journey to rescue Saba from the abductor’s custody near the city of Nawabshah in Sindh province, more than 580 miles to the south-west. They found her locked in a small room in a remote area away from the city. Police arrested her abductor.
In a statement Saba disclosed that she endured daily physical assaults by her “husband” who denied her the right to contact her parents. She described her two-month ordeal as “living like a slave, completely helpless”.
Legal proceedings are being pursued against Ali.
Praise God for this wonderful answer to prayer with the successful rescue of Saba. Ask that Saba will know God’s comfort and recover fully from her traumatic experience. Pray for the Lord’s protection of Saba, her parents and three siblings from any anti-Christian hostility within their community (2 Samuel 22:2-4). Give thanks for the tireless work of the family’s legal team and pray for wisdom as they pursue justice in the ongoing legal action. Pray that would-be abductors will be deterred by both the force of the law and the fear of the Lord, and that forced conversions and marriages of Christian girls in Pakistan will cease.
Nigeria – Church minister abducted and murdered in Kaduna State
Please pray for the family and church community of Sylvester Okechukwu, church minister in Kaduna State, whose murder was reported on 5 March.
Okechukwu, who ministered at a church in the Kaura Local Government Area, was kidnapped from his residence on the evening of 4 March. His body was found the following morning.
A spokesman from the Diocese of Kafanchan described Sylvester as “a dedicated servant of God, who worked selflessly in the vineyard of the Lord, spreading the message of peace, love, and hope”.
“This untimely and brutal loss has left us heartbroken and devastated,” he added.
The minister’s abduction occurred just two days after two others were kidnapped in Edo State on 4 March. Church leaders have frequently been targeted by criminal gangs and extremist groups.
Pray that God will surround Sylvester’s family and congregation with His love and enable them to know His closeness even as they feel crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Pray that they will stand firm in their faith in the midst of their grief. Ask the Lord for protection of the shepherds of His flock in Nigeria, that extremists’ plans to abduct and harm church leaders will be defeated
Iran – Three Christian converts sentenced to 40 years in prison; Concerns grow over Christian prisoner on hunger strike
Three Iranian Christian converts from Islam have received prison sentences totalling more than 40 years on charges concerning their beliefs and involvement in worship meetings.
The Revolutionary Court announced the sentences on 8 March to Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui and Narges Nasri. At the time of writing, Narges is four months pregnant with her first child. The three believers were arrested at their homes in Tehran in November 2024 during a series of raids by intelligence agents.
Narges, 37 years old, was sentenced to a total of 16 years. She received 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law”, five for membership of a house church (deemed to be an “opposition group”) and one year for “propaganda against the state” after she expressed support for the Women, Life, Freedom movement on social media.
Abbas, 48, received a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, comprising 10 years for his “propaganda activities” and five for belonging to an “opposition group”.
The sentences for Mehran, 37, were eight years for “propaganda activities” and two years and eight months for his membership of an “opposition group”.
All three received fines, amounting to 330 million tomans (£2,915; €3,206) for Narges and Abbas, and 250 million tomans (£2,290; $2,750; €2,519) for Mehran.
On conclusion of their prison terms, Narges and Abbas must serve two years of internal exile outside their home province of Tehran, during which time they are banned from leaving Iran.
Abbas was originally arrested in 2020 and convicted as a member of an “illegal group” and, in addition to receiving travel restrictions, was banned from joining any political or social groups.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing for the welfare of Naser Navard Goltapeh, an Iranian Christian convert who was rearrested in February after being pardoned and released from prison in October 2022 (see Prayer Focus Update, March 2025). Naser has now gone on hunger strike to protest his unjust rearrest. He has been denied the right to a lawyer and has been allowed only a few supervised phone calls with his family, during which he has been prohibited from speaking about either his hunger strike or the conditions of his detention.
Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, an Iranian-Armenian Christian who was also rearrested in February, remains detained without charge, denied access to a lawyer.
Lift up Narges, Abbas and Mehran to the Lord as they face these long sentences. Pray that they will know that they are blessed as they suffer injustice for the gospel, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on them (1 Peter 4:14). Pray that they will all know God’s comfort and strength as they endure trials. Ask for guidance for lawyers representing them in seeking to overturn these harsh verdicts. Continue to pray for Naser’s wellbeing, that his physical and emotional needs will be met, and that justice will be served. Pray that he and Joseph will receive proper legal support and that they will both be released without suffering further imprisonment.
D.R. Congo – Islamist terrorists kill at least 47 Christians in early March
Prayer continues to be needed for our brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At least 47 more Christians were killed by Islamist terrorists in north-eastern DRC in a series of attacks in the first ten days of March.
In the deadliest incident, on 5 March, fighters from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP, also known as the Allied Democratic Forces) slaughtered 19 believers in the Sambuco and Makayana area of Ituri Province. The terrorists also burned down 15 homes and several motorbikes.
The attacks were claimed by ISCAP on Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) social media channels, monitored by the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium.
On the same day the terrorists boasted that they had “killed one of the Christians and burned 18 houses” in Totolito, North Kivu Province.
Twenty more believers were killed on the weekend of 8-9 March in North Kivu’s Lubero District, and at least another seven in North Kivu and Ituri in the days that followed.
The scale and frequency of ISCAP attacks has increased notably in recent months. Since Christmas 2024 at least 287 believers have been killed by ISCAP.
The escalation of violence in north-eastern DRC has involved other forces. Most notably, the armed opposition group M23, allegedly backed by Rwandan troops, seized control of Goma and Bukavu, the capital cities of North Kivu and South Kivu, respectively.
International experts believe that around 7,000 people have died since the beginning of the M23 offensive in January, including around 3,000 in Goma alone.
Persist in seeking the Lord as the violence in north-eastern DRC shows no sign of abating. Continue to ask the Lord to intervene to end the conflict in the region and for His protection of Christians from repeated attacks by ISCAP and other armed groups. Pray that He will enable humanitarian aid to reach all people affected in the region. Ask that His people will keep their eyes firmly fixed on the author and perfecter of their faith (Hebrews 12:2) and be strengthened in their trust in Him even amid such traumatic circumstances
.gives – Shipments of vital aid being dispatched to our worldwide church family
In the weeks ahead several shipments of much-needed aid will, God willing, be heading to suffering Christians in different parts of the world.
Two 40ft containers are on their way from the United States to Moldova to meet the needs of impoverished believers, suffering after their gas supply through Ukraine was cut off in the course of the ongoing conflict. One container consists of dried soup mix; the other comprises a range of dried vegetables.
From Australia two 20ft containers are bound for Zimbabwe, filled with .gives boxes and red split lentils. Another 20ft container is being transported from New Zealand to Vanuatu with .gives boxes.
Pray for the safe arrival of all these consignments and that Christian communities will be built up physically and spiritually as the contents are distributed. Give thanks for the encouragement of Christians around the world through vital donations that make these journeys possible. Ask God to protect and direct drivers tasked with the onward transport of aid across dangerous terrain.
