#prayeralert: Boko Haram Denies Agreement — Girls Not ReleasedLaura Gish - 7 Nov 2014

Cease-fire? It just didn’t happen.

When Nigerian officials announced that Boko Haram had agreed to a cease-fire and would release the 219 school girls who had been kidnapped in July, civilians were skeptical. They’d encountered this group before and were suspicious about these claims. 

Friday, their suspicions were validated. Boko Haram released a video denying any agreement to a cease-fire. They will not return the girls, they stated. The leader in the video claimed that the girls have been married off. A report by Human Rights Watch said Boko Haram is holding more than 500 women and young girls. The act of forced marriage is commonplace in Boko Haram’s camps. 

In the meantime, violence and more kidnappings have continued. A bomb exploded Friday night in Gombe, killing at least eight people. It’s clear the fears of civilians became a reality. There is no cease-fire. The girls will not be returned … not without an intervention by God. 

Let’s pray for this nation of people whom God loves! 

• Pray for the officials. Pray protection over them, and that they would lead their people well. 
• Pray against division, deceit, and discord in the nation. May the people unite together during this time of trial and heartache. 
• Pray for the Word of God to reach all languages and people groups in Nigeria. May His glorious Light drown out the darkness that persists in regions of this nation. 
• Continue to intercede on behalf of the women and young girls who were taken into the camps. Plead for mercy and protection over them. Ask God to intervene and bring swift deliverance as hearts turn to Him in prayer to bring their loved ones home. 

All images are used by permission in accordance with commons copyright license terms: Feature image is a derivative of the images 'Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Population Density and Low Elevation Coastal Zones' by SEDACMaps  and 'Boko Haram bombings' by Global Panorama