17th May 2026

It  is being reported today that on Friday morning 9.00am local time, armed attackers stormed Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School the Government Day Secondary School in the Askira-Uba local government area of Nigeria. More than 50 children have been abducted including under 5 year olds. A teacher at one school told Reuters that armed attackers arrived in the village on motorcycles. He said, “Despite some students escaping to the bushes, I can tell you many were taken away.” Other witnesses said the gunmen fired sporadically, forcing residents to run for cover. Parents watched from a nearby hill unable to to rescue their children as the children were taken away.  No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and kidnappings, which bore the hallmark of Boko Haram. The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has also active in the region and has  carried out a number of attacks in recent weeks.

Loving God, we pray for the safety and swift return of these children taken from their school.  May those who hold them be compassionate towards them. We ask your protection for the,.  We also ask for your loving compassion for their parents, wider families, friends, the schools' staff and local community.  Grant them strength in their time of trouble. Guide the authorities and particularly the policing authorities to find the children and to bring their abductors to justice.  We pray that these kidnappings will cease and that communities can live without fear and children can learn knowing that they are safe. Move among the international community that all will support the Nigerian government in taking appropriate actions. We also pray that the church in Askira-Uba will show care, compassion and support to all traumatised, fearful and anxious. May your love be demonstrated in  practical and emotional support.  Give the leaders of the church words of comfort and hope to share with others.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Almost 10 years ago Scotland established the South Arran Marine Protected Area and banned bottom trawling across much of the area. A new study has now discovered that three times more seabed organisms and twice as many species now live in the protected area compared to nearby unprotected waters. “What looks like a boring desert of mud, it’s actually really, really dynamic,” lead author Ben Harris, a marine ecologist at the University of Exeter in the U.K. said. “We saw not necessarily the most glamorous things … but once you get a bit nerdy about it and look a bit deeper, you realize that they’re playing a really important role.”  Over 150 species were found in a small sample of the seafloor, including spoon worms, Bobbitt worms, and shell-building organisms like tower snails. The research team recorded more than 1,500 organisms in approximately 100 liters (26 gallons) of sediment, which over the entire protected area amounts to billions of organisms,” The researchers estimate that the equivalent of eight Mount Everest’s worth of sediments is being turned over every minute on the global continental shelf by these small animals. This is extremely important for carbon storage, and in the South Arran MPA, these animals are starting to rebuild a long-lost ecosystem that once thrived at the bottom of the sea. 

You can red the full report here.

Eternal God worship and praise belong to you. 

Out of nothing, you created all that is

and continue to bring the universe to its fulfilment. 

One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit we love you,

we magnify your Holy name.

Glory and thanksgiving be to you, most loving Father. 

In Jesus you showed us yourself. 

Our hope is built on him;

the alpha and the omega,

the beginning and the end. 

Through his death, glorious resurrection, and ascension

he has enabled us to be forgiven of our sin

and opened the gate of heaven to all believers. 

We praise you that he calls us to share his risen life.  

Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever,  Amen.