Insurgency: Christian Group Wants Razed Churches Rebuilt

A Northeast based Christian group has made an appeal to the government to rebuild its churches which were brought down by the terrorist group, Boko Haram over the years.

President of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, otherwise known in Hausa language as Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa A Nigeria (EYN), Rev Joel Billi made the appeal at the 2019 Ministers’ Annual Conference held at the EYN headquarters in Kwarhi, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Daily Post reports that the group asked the Adamawa and federal governments to expedite action on the reconstruction of their worship centres, houses and shops that were destroyed by the insurgents.

The group noted that its headquarters building was destroyed on October 29, 2014 by Boko Haram which forced them to move its headquarters to Jos, Plateau State. It returned to its original base, Kwarhi, in 2016.

Recounting the level of destruction, the EYN says Boko Haram destroyed a total of 1,125 of its church buildings and other structures over the years of insurgency including its headquarters office complex, which has been rebuilt, a church auditorium which is yet to be fully reconstructed, and an adjacent pastor’s residential quarters where reconstructions work is yet to start.

While expressing displeasure in his speech, the EYN president asked, “For how long are we going to wait in vain? We are tired of fictitious promises. Are worship places not included in the rebuilding of the Northeast? Is Adamawa State excluded from the rebuilding of the Northeast?

“Why are we flagrantly neglected as if we deserve to be punished? If not for the inadequacy of our security forces and political undertone, Boko Haram would not have overrun us. So, why do we pay for the sin that was not committed by us?”

Tuesday’s event of the conference witnessed the commissioning of the newly rebuilt headquarters office complex, performed by the Adamawa State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Stephen Mamza.