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Kevin Rideout was released after more than nine months in captivity and is in good health while in the care of US officials, SIM International said in a statement on Friday. The New York Times, which first reported the development, cited unnamed US officials confirming that the missionary pilot is now in FBI custody. Details of how Rideout was freed and the identity of those who held him remain unclear, though the organisation said he would soon be reunited with his wife Krista, their children and extended family.
Rideout was seized in October 2025 outside his home in a secure neighbourhood of Niger’s capital Niamey by three armed men, according to an analysis by African Security Analysis. The abductors took him westward toward the Tillaberi region, an area recognised as a stronghold for groups including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. Diplomatic sources told Reuters at the time that militants were likely responsible, prompting immediate concern over his safety.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project showed a considerable rise in the kidnapping of foreigners across the Sahel in 2025, with 30 separate events recorded in Mali and Niger by the end of November. Approximately 70 percent of such cases tracked across Africa that year occurred in the Sahel countries of Mali and Niger, the project found. Islamist militant groups operating from neighbouring states have targeted both civilians and security forces for years, exacerbating instability in the region.
SIM International, for which Rideout served as a pilot flying personnel and equipment across West Africa, described the release as incredibly good news after months of uncertainty about his wellbeing. “Krista and the rest of Kevin’s family are profoundly grateful for the prayers offered on their behalf by people around the world throughout his captivity,” the organisation said. The family has requested privacy as they reconnect after the prolonged separation.
Rideout had worked in Niger as a Christian missionary and pilot for SIM International since 2010, according to reports from OSV News and other outlets covering the initial abduction. The group operates in more than 70 countries, focusing on regions where Christianity is less established. His case drew sustained attention from the US government, with the White House prioritising his release amid broader efforts to engage Sahel nations following the 2023 military coup in Niger.
Within days of the October 2025 kidnapping, the US State Department warned American citizens against travel to Niger because of the increased risk of terrorism, crime and civil unrest. The New York Times reported that Rideout may have been transferred between groups during his captivity. Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria have faced more than a decade of jihadist violence that has killed thousands and contributed to regional destabilisation, according to multiple security assessments.
