Rev. Gideon Obasogie has said that two months after the capture of 11
towns in Borno and Adamawa states by Boko Haram, residents could not
return to their houses and places of worship, as 185 churches in the
diocese were torched and 190, 545 people displaced.
Obasogie disclose this, Monday, in a signed press statement tagged
"state of captured towns;" and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri,
the state capital.
According to the statement, the "ransacking and torching" of churches
in the captured towns and villages, have already displaced many
priests, and are taking refuge in either Yola or Maiduguri
metropolisis for the last one or two months.
He said the capturing of towns along with the torching of about 185
places of worship is, "sad, heart arching and potentially dangerous to
the territorial integrity and common good of Nigeria."
The statement also reads in part: "It is over 30 days now that our
Church communities in Gulak, Shuwa, Michika, Bazza...... were sacked by
the callous attacks of the Boko Haram terrorists. While Gwoza and
Magadali had been under the tyrannical and despotic control of the
terrorists and this is almost the sixtieth day.
"Our Priests are displaced, while citizens, who were supposed to
celebrate their independence as a free Nation, were rather counting
their losses and regrets as they had been reduced to the status of
Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. Where is the freedom?
"Life is really terribly difficult. We are waiting eagerly to go back
home, even as it is obvious that we are going to reconstruct our
looted and burnt houses and ecclesial structures.
We have been sacked for months, sleeping in uncompleted buildings,
camps and school premises. We have been absorbed into houses of
relations and friends
in sixties and seventies."
On displaced priests and residents, Obasogie said: "Meals time is
always difficult and shameful. We have counted weeks rolling into
months, must we also count years? We are waiting to go back home!
Nigerians are waiting to go back to their ancestral homes!!! .
Our minds are greatly troubled, do we think about our status, Or about
our family members yet to be connected with ever since we fled our
homes?"
The statement also queried: "Do we worry about our aged parents who
were not so strong to run, they always fed us with words of
encouragement and wisdom.
Do we worry about our sick members, women and infants who had been
trapped? Most of whom we heard had been rape and killed. Or worry
about the health, education and future of our children? We have got a
lot of questions yet to be answered."
On re-opening of closed schools, Obasogie said: "Talking about
resumption, our children have not been fed and well clothed so
resumption to schools is practically out of our calculation. In our
opinion if thousand of Nigerian children can't go to school then in
the long run "boko is really haram." Then their future is at stake,
quite bleak.
The health condition of our people is truly troubling in their
displaced camps in Maiduguri, Mubi, Yola, Uba, Gombe, Biu and
Damaturu.
"While our people perish inaction, or rather slow action is what we
get. Political activities in neighboring communities were on-going as
though nothing were a stake.
The seemingly not so much talked about syndicate would someday be a
yoke on all. Lately, three councils of Bama, in Borno state; Madagali
and Michika in Adamawa state and their Local Govt. Chairmen were all
sacked.
"The Shehus and Emirs (on -throne)- were overturned, this amounts to
what I would rather refer to as (cultural coup), since unknown figures
have been placed in such capacities.
Thousand displaced, many killed, and others forcibly conscripted.
These are pointers that Boko Haram terrorism is not just a northern
problem, but a Nigerian problem and in fact a global issue.
As a church we are really going through a severe moment of
persecution. The ecclesial circumscription is facing sharp
disintegration.
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