By Zakariya Musa, EYN Media
Boko Haram has attacked the Bwalgyang community in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State. In the attack on Sept. 19, two people were killed and the church auditorium of the congregation of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) as well as many houses and properties were burnt or looted.
Please pray… For the Nigerian Brethren and their families, neighbors, and communities affected by recent violence and by flooding, especially those who have lost loved ones.
Church officials report that the Nigerian military and local vigilantes working in the area have recovered some property vandalized from the attacked village by the terrorists.
The EYN district secretary for Chibok, Joel S. Tabji, in his briefing said that people have fled the area for their lives to other communities.
Chibok already hosts hundreds of displaced people who have fled from various communities in the troubled years of jihadist activities in Nigeria.
This most recent attack has come after an attack was launched on Aug. 22 by the same terrorists on Takulashe, where EYN has a congregation in the church district of Balgi. Some 11 houses, 4 shops, and church properties were burned, and people were injured, among other damage.
Nigeria flood disaster
On Aug. 28, flooding as a result of heavy rainfall has thrown the area into a difficult situation, adding salt to the wounds.
The 21-year-old son of Fidelis Yarima, one of EYN’s district secretaries, lost his life in the flooding. His body was recovered after days of searching.
After praying for more rainfall in the beginning of rainy season across Nigeria, especially among farming communities, many have experienced unexpectedly heavy rainfall between the months of July to September. The Nigeria government recently released the information that heavy floods since the start of the rainy season have claimed hundreds of lives across the country. Churches as cooperating entities also have gathered information that many communities were affected but assistance is not reaching them, either due to their location, inaccessibility to government facilities or response agencies, or lack of information.
EYN is grateful for support received from the Church of the Brethren in the United States to assist nearly 200 affected households with food, bedding items, and medical services.
— Zakariya Musa is head of Media for Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
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