Boko Haram withdrew from Madagali on August 25, after holding the town for 24 hours.
Nonetheless, the offensive caused widespread displacement of the mostly Christian residents and others from surrounding villages who were taking refuge in Madagali. Most have made their way to Mubi, about 80 kilometres away, itself the victim of a serious Boko Haram attack in October 2012.
On the same day, insurgents attacked the border towns of Gamboru Ngala and Banki. The fighting forced thousands of civilians to flee across the Cameroon border.
The Nigerian army, often outgunned and regularly criticised for ineffectiveness against the insurgency, has failed to stop the militants. Hundreds of soldiers have fled to neighbouring Cameroon.
More than 178 churches were destroyed around Gwoza, said a worker for Open Doors International, which works to support Christians who are pressured because of their faith. In a telephone interview, a local Christian worker said: ‘The situation is becoming out of hand. The church can no longer support the large population of refugees from different parts of the northeast trooping to Mubi’.
More beheadings
Reports have been made of Christian men being caught and beheaded, women being forced to become Muslims and taken as wives to the terrorists. The houses of Christians that have fled are being occupied by the Haramists. Their cars are used by the terrorists. Some Boko Haram sympathisers around the town showed the terrorists which were Christian homes, and Christians hiding were also identified and killed. Strict shari’a law has been promulgated.
A local church leader said, over the phone: ‘Only God can come to our aid – we are in a very difficult situation’.
Chibok girls’ church
The Revd Samuel Dali is the president of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, known locally as Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, or EYN Church. Located mainly in northeast Nigeria, EYN Church has been a direct target of Boko Haram attacks; most of the Chibok girls’ families belong to the Church. He said that unless put down, the Islamist insurgency: ‘Will lead to certain humanitarian disaster, and the future of the church in the whole area is threatened’.
The amount of refugees has grown to the extent that they cannot help them all. There are children naked and hungry.
He calls for the church worldwide to recognise that this is a problem for the whole body of Christ.
