We’re Still Neglected, Displaced, Gwoza Christians Tell Tinubu

A religious organisation, Gwoza Christian Community Association (GCCA), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the continued suffering of its members amid the ongoing insurgency in the area.

At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the association’s national coordinator, Rev. Ayuba John Bassa, urged President Tinubu to act swiftly over what survivors of the insurgency described as a continuing campaign of erasure, injustice and exclusion against indigenous Christians from Gwoza local government area of Borno State.

He said, “GCCA demands swift intervention, an independent investigation, equitable reconstruction, urgent humanitarian relief and visible guarantees for a safe return.

“We are not asking for favours. We are begging for the dignity of truth, justice and a safe home for our people. Too many churches, homes and lives were destroyed. Too many of our sons remain unaccounted for. Silence and denial have compounded our grief. Mr President, your urgent and visible action can stop the slow death of our communities,” Bassa said.

The group said Gwoza has witnessed widespread destruction of places of worship and community life. It said of the 176 large churches with a capacity of 500 worshippers and above in Gwoza council before the insurgency, 148 were burnt and now lie in ruins. The 12 churches currently standing were restored by Vice President Kashim Shettima during his tenure as governor of Borno State.

The group detailed the human toll and scale of destruction: In Gwoza West alone, 74 towns and villages were sacked, 36,946 families were displaced, 99 churches were destroyed, and 292 people were killed in September 2013.

In Attagara, 13 churches were destroyed, 1,738 families displaced, and 140 Christians killed by 3rd June 2014. By 9th August, 2014, 2,203 Christian homes and 28 churches were destroyed, while 102 Christians — including three pastors — were killed in Gwoza town, Kamba and Ghraza. In total, 12 pastors were killed by insurgents in Gwoza LGA.

According to GCCA, Christian communities within Gwoza, including Ngoshe, Bokko, Pulka, Limankara, Ngoshe-sama, Barawa, and Gava North, have suffered extensive loss of lives and destruction beyond local expectations.

The association stated that about 107,000 Gwoza Christians are currently living in 27 IDP camps across seven Nigerian states and in Minawao Refugee Camp in Cameroon, while an additional 50,000 people are displaced and living with relatives, many for over a decade.

“Evidence shows extensive rebuilding of Muslim homes and properties on their original land, while Christian survivors have been largely excluded. Out of thousands of resettlement houses built, GCCA can identify only three Christian beneficiaries, despite Christians being the most displaced.

“The church within Gwoza General Hospital was bulldozed and converted into a solar farm, while the adjacent mosque within the same hospital was rehabilitated,” he said.

On unresolved abductions and impunity, GCCA said five of its members — including a former Vice Chairman of Gwoza LGA — were abducted on 30 July 2013 and remain missing despite repeated appeals. Witnesses reportedly saw military vehicle transfers. Their five wives and 17 children have received no sustained legal, psychosocial, or economic support.

The group also cited a recent case in which Mrs. Lami and her husband, Amos, were arrested in Maiduguri for sharing their faith with a 23-year-old woman. GCCA described the denial of bail in the matter as persecution, noting that the case was not a criminal matter.

GCCA therefore called on Tinubu to take immediate action to restore lives and property and ensure transparent repatriation and resettlement.

The group cautioned: “Do not give our refugees in Cameroon ₦500,000 per family as compensation or inducement in the name of resettlement. Build their homes on their ancestral land in Gwoza and hand over the keys. Our IDPs do not need money; they need homes. This has been done in other areas of Borno State — even within Gwoza — so why not for Gwoza Christians?”

Other demands include: A full, independent investigation into the abduction of the five GCCA members in July 2013, including access to military records, with public reporting and prosecution where appropriate.