Boko Haram insurgents attacked the town of Michika, the headquarters of the Michika Local Government Area in Adamawa State. During the attack, they abducted Reverend Lawan Andimi from his home. Reverend Andimi was a prominent figure who served as the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for Michika LGA and was a pastor with the Church of the Brethren (EYN). After his abduction, a video was released showing him appealing for help, while also expressing his unshaken faith in God.
2 Jan 2020 · Michika, Michika, Adamawa
Deaths
0
Injured
0
Kidnapped
1
Total casualties
0
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at both state and national levels appealed publicly for his release. The local chapter of the Church of the Brethren (EYN) entered into indirect negotiations with the captors through intermediaries. Boko Haram demanded a ransom of two million euros (approximately 880 million naira or 2.2 million US dollars at the time). The local church, having been devastated by years of attacks, looting, and displacement, could not raise the funds. CAN issued multiple press statements condemning the abduction and calling on the federal government to intervene. The Adamawa State government expressed concern but did not deploy security forces for a rescue operation. The Nigerian military claimed to have launched search operations in the Sambisa Forest area, but no rescue was effected. After the execution, President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killing as "cruel, inhuman, and deliberately provocative." Governor Ahmadu Fintiri called it "barbaric." CAN declared three days of national prayer and fasting.
Displacement
While not systematically recorded, the attack forced many residents of Michika to flee their homes.
Socioeconomic drivers
The abduction of a prominent Christian leader in Adamawa State fits a pattern of attacks designed to spread terror, undermine state authority, and force the conversion or displacement of non-Muslim populations.
Trajectory
This case is significant as it highlights a shift in tactics from simple "hit-and-run" raids to more strategic operations, including the abduction of high-profile figures and the use of hostage videos for propaganda.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier insurgent attacks including 14 July 2018 – abduction and execution of CAN Chairman Reverend Faye Pama in Chibok following failed ransom negotiations, 1 March 2018 – abduction of aid worker Hauwa Liman and her colleague Saifura Hussaini (both executed in September 2018 after video pleas and unmet deadlines), 7 February 2018 – abduction of CAN Chairman Reverend John Boryarn in Garkida (released after ₦5 million ransom), 14 April 2014 – abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls with video demands and combined ransom/prisoner swap negotiations, 25 May 2012 – killing of Reverend Musa Marsha in Potiskum, 1 October 2012 – murder of Reverend Gideon Danjuma in Kaduna, 2012 – kidnapping of British and Italian hostages Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara (killed during failed rescue on 8 March 2012), and broader Boko Haram and ISIS-aligned execution campaigns (2012–2020) using staged video productions of captives pleading before death, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram employs highly choreographed abductions and executions as both coercive and propaganda tools—targeting Christian religious leaders and aid workers specifically, amplifying sectarian narratives through the victims' own words of faith, demanding ransoms that local impoverished communities cannot pay, and filming the killings to maximize psychological impact and international visibility while reinforcing the group's ideological positioning against Christianity and the Nigerian state.
Pattern
Targeted Abduction of Religious Leader
Related — Targeted Killing
Reverend Lawan Andimi, the 58-year-old Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for Michika Local Government Area and a pastor with the Church of the Brethren (EYN), was abducted from his home in Michika town, Adamawa State, on 2 January 2020. His captors—the Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram—ransacked the town while wearing military fatigues and forced him into a vehicle. Approximately three days after his abduction, a six‑minute Facebook video surfaced showing Andimi softly but bravely telling his loved ones not to panic. “Be patient. Don’t cry, don’t worry, but thank God for everything,” he said, also appealing to Christian leaders and the Adamawa State governor to rescue him. Despite ongoing negotiations—during which the insurgents reportedly demanded a ransom of €2 million (approximately ₦946 million) and rejected a ₦50 million offer—Andimi was beheaded on the afternoon of Monday, 20 January 2020.
Gunmen stormed a student residential area and went from house to house, calling out victims by name from a pre-prepared list. Those identified were shot dead or had their throats slit. The methodical nature of the attack—with victims summoned by name—strongly indicated inside knowledge.
Gunmen attacked and killed Usamatu Badawi, a Registrar of the Kano State High Court and former national president of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). He was ambushed in the Hotoro area of Kano city while driving home. The assailants pulled him out of his car, shot him in the eyes, and stole his vehicle. His body was discovered later near his residence. The killing shocked the judiciary, as he was a senior judicial official and union leader.