By Francesca Hangeior
The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has raised the alarm over the escalating abduction cases in Nigeria.
Taking to his X account on Sunday, he expressed his solidarity with Nigerians and prayed for measures to combat the menace. 
He wrote, “The increasingly frequent kidnappings in Nigeria are extremely concerning.
“I express my closeness in prayer to the Nigerian people, hoping that efforts will be made to contain the spread of these incidents as much as possible.”
The Pope’s remarks come as Nigeria grapples with a surge in kidnappings for ransom, extending to areas like the Federal Capital Territory, where residents of estates and border communities face the threat of abduction.
