John Mellor writes to the Messenger:
As this edition of the Burngreave Messenger goes to print, one of the major headlines in the international news has been the abduction of 270 girls from Chibok School in north-eastern Nigeria.
At the time of writing the outcome for these schoolgirls is still uncertain and our TV screens have shown us the anguish and anger of parents as they wait for news of their daughters.
This tragic event has revived vivid memories of a similar event, although in very different circumstances, which occurred in Zimbabwe in March 1978.
At the time, my wife and I were teaching at Tegwani Secondary School (a boarding school run by the Methodist Church) 70 miles south-west of Bulawayo and only a few miles from the border with Botswana.
There were differences: at Tegwani the whole school of 430 pupils, both boys and girls were abducted, through the night, into Botswana and 400 of them returned, exhausted and hungry, 2 days later.
Several members of staff were also taken and only one of these (the headmaster) returned with the pupils. To this day we are unsure about what happened to the abductees who didn't return.
There are also similarities. In both cases, innocent children were robbed of their security and put in very frightening situations, being deprived forcefully of their right to education.
The perpetrators in both abductions were a small group of young men, heavily armed and highly motivated, with the fire-power to inflict their wishes on vulnerable children through terror.
At Tegwani, the pupils (especially the girls) were taken against their will and had no idea what was going to happen to them.
Margaret and I, along with other members of staff, were held at gun point for 2 hours whilst the abduction was taking place. We were powerless to do anything to influence the situation, except to pray for God's protection of everyone involved, a prayer which was dramatically answered by the return of most of our pupils with no serious injuries, apart from a few sprained ankles sustained over the rough terrain during the night.
I know that many people around the world are praying for the protection and safe return of the Nigerian girls to their families.