THE PLIGHT OF THE SAINTS

Conflict between the armed group Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), commonly known as Boko Haram, Nigerian security forces, and civilian self-defense militias has ravaged Nigeria’s fragile northeast. The conflict in the northeast attributed to JAS  has  resulted in the death of an estimated

20,000 people, displaced an estimated 1.5million people, 880,000(58%) of this number being Children. The parties to the conflict have subjected populations in the affected areas to forced recruitment, attacks on schools,  destruction of social infrastructures, killings and maiming, abductions, rape, sexual violence.

2.0 Impact on Boko Haram Insurgency on the Church in North East Nigeria: The EYN Church (church of the Brethren) provides a complete picture of what has happened to the Church in North East Nigeria. Of the estimated 20,000 persons killed by the sect since 2009, 8,038 including 6 Pastors, representing 53.5% of this number are EYN members, of the 1.5million people displaced from North East Nigeria, 58%(880,000)(UNICEF 2015) of this number are children and part of the 700, 000 EYN members displaced from the region, of the  more than 200 girls kidnapped from Government Secondary School Chibok, 178 are EYN members.

In-addition to this is the destruction of 4 EYN Bible Schools, 1 technical Schools, 1 comprehensive college,36 DCCs out of 50 EYN DCCs, 278 LCCS out of 456 LCCs, 1390 Local Church branches out of 2280(Dr Samuel Dali, EYN President, Today’s Challenge Magazine, Jan/Feb, 2015, pages 6-9). These attacks  that have been highlighted pertains to the EYN Church who have suffered the most being the biggest denomination in the North East excluding the several Pastors and Missionaries killed who were from other denominations.

Culled from "NORTH EAST WATCH"

by Ben O.