•About 25 reverend fathers, 40 sisters rendered homeless

…Mohammed Uba 

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, Most Rev. Oliver Doeme, has revealed that more than 500 Catholics were killed by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State, North East part of Nigeria.

Doeme who disclosed this on Wednesday in Maiduguri, also said that wh 25 reverend fathers and 40 reverend sisters were also rendered homeless.

The cleric lamented that 250 Catholic churches were set ablaze by the Boko Haram militants in 2014 alone in the North-East.

He also disclosed that over 50 Catholic catechists were displaced in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Doeme, who described the birth of Boko Haram as an “offshoot of corruption” in the country, noted that 80,000 Catholics were displaced by the sect members, while 64,000 fled into Cameroon.

The Catholic priest also commended the federal government for the successes in the ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram terrorists in the North East.

He also hailed the military in its war against the insurgents, saying “the battle against Boko Haram should not be limited to the physical realm but it needs to be fought in the spiritual realm for it is a demonic attack”.

“If the churches have been part of assisting the victims of the insurgency, they should equally be involved in the rebuilding plan.‎”

He called on Christian bodies to be engaged in the rebuilding plan of the North-East.