- The Gwoza Christian Community Association (GCCA) has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents destroyed 148 out of 176 church buildings in Gwoza, Borno State, displacing over 36,000 families and killing hundreds of Christians.
- In a report titled “The Unspoken Genocide,” the group accused the government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of remaining silent while Christian homes remain unreconstructed.
- The GCCA also lamented that Christian Religious Knowledge is no longer taught in schools and that Christians have been denied land for worship
The Gwoza Christian Community Association (GCCA) in Borno State has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents destroyed 148 out of 176 church buildings in the community, detailing years of persecution and displacement.
In a statement titled “The Unspoken Genocide: GCCA Account on Christian Persecution in Gwoza, Borno State,” signed by Rev. Dr. Ayuba John Bassa and Rev. Filibus K. Goma, the group said 74 towns and villages were sacked, 36,946 families displaced, and 292 people killed in a single 2013 attack. They added that twelve pastors were murdered and over 2,400 Christian homes were razed by mid-2014.
The GCCA accused both the government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of remaining silent amid the destruction, lamenting that reconstruction in Gwoza has been uneven, with almost no Christian homes rebuilt while thousands of Muslim homes have been restored.
The group also decried the removal of Christian Religious Knowledge from schools and the replacement of churches with mosques, noting that more than 107,000 Christians remain displaced.
Calling on the government to protect all citizens regardless of faith, the GCCA urged independent investigations, equitable reconstruction, and international intervention, declaring:
“The time for denial and silence is over. Please talk about it until the world knows.”
