Group Demands Resettlement Of Displaced Gwoza Indigenes In Their Ancestral Land

Gwoza Christian Community Association (GCCA), has called for the resettlement of displaced Gwoza indigenes in their ancestral homeland.

In a statement signed Friday, by Rev. Dr. (Arc) Ayuba John Bassa, GCCA National Coordinator, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, Vice President Kashmi Shettima to use their offices to end what the group described as a continued agenda to exclude and erase indigenous Christians from Gwoza Local Government Area, of Borno State.

GCCA while demanding swift federal intervention, also called for an independent investigation, equitable reconstruction, urgent humanitarian relief, and visible guarantees of their safe return to their ancestral homeland.

The Christian group who went further to claim that some of their sons and daughters have remained unaccounted for till date, disclosed that out of 176 large churches whose capacity was 500 worshippers and above in Gwoza LGA before the insurgency, 148 were burnt and lie in ruins till date, adding that 107,000 Gwoza Christians are in 27 IDP camps across seven Nigerian states and in Minawao refugee camp (Cameroon) with an additional 50,000 displaced indigenes living with relatives in other locations for over a decade.

“We are not asking for a favour. 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, visible action can stop the slow death of our communities.

“Widespread destruction of worship and community life: Out of 176 large churches whose capacity was 500 worshippers and above in Gwoza LGA before the insurgency, 148 were burnt and lie in ruins.

“The twelve that are standing today were restored by the Vice President, His Excellency Kashim Shettima GCON, when he was the governor of Borno State.

Mass killings and targeted attacks: The human toll and destruction are detailed and specific. In Gwoza-West alone, 74 towns and villages were sacked, 36,946 families were dispersed, 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 houses and 28 churches were destroyed, and 102 Christians, including three pastors, were killed in Gwoza town, Kamba and Ghraza.

“The total number of pastors killed by the insurgents in Gwoza local government was 12. In other Christian towns within Gwoza, such as Ngoshe, Bokko, Pulka, Limankara, Ngoshe-sama, Barawa and Gava-North, both the loss of life and the physical destruction exceeded local expectations.

“Today, we have 107,000 Gwoza Christians in 27 IDP camps across seven Nigerian states and in Minawao refugee camp (Cameroon); an additional ~50,000 are displaced and living with relatives, many for over a decade.”

The Gwoza Christian indigenes who alleged what they described as unequal reconstruction and resettlement claimed that evidence before the shows an extensive rebuilding of Muslim homes and properties on original land while Christian survivors have been mainly excluded; within thousands of resettlement houses built, “GCCA can identify only three Christian beneficiaries, even though Christians were the most displaced.

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

“Five of our members, one of whom was the former vice chairman of Gwoza local government, were abducted on 30 July 2013 and remain missing despite repeated appeals; witnesses report military vehicle transfers.

“Their five wives and 17 children have received no sustained legal, psychosocial or economic support. Also, recently, our member Mrs Lami and her husband Amos were arrested in Maiduguri for sharing her faith with a 23-year-old lady.

“The judge refused to grant her bail on a case that was not criminal in nature. That is called persecution.

“Christian Religious Knowledge is not taught in government schools across the LGA; public office and traditional leadership

remain overwhelmingly monopolised in ways that prevent fair representation; public minimisation of victims’ suffering deepens wounds and discourages reconciliation.”

GCCA went further to demand for Presidential action to restoration of “our homes, we are willing to return, ensure transparent repatriation and resettlement. Do not give our refugees in Cameroon #500,000 per family as compensation, enticement, or bet in the name of resettlement.

“Build their homes on their ancestral land in Gwoza and give them the keys. Our IDPs do not need money; they need homes to live in. Please rebuild their homes on their ancestral land in Gwoza.

“It has been done in many areas and local governments in Borno State, even in Gwoza, but why not for Gwoza Christians?

“Order an immediate, transparent audit of all reconstruction and resettlement projects in Gwoza LGA.

“Publish complete beneficiary lists, selection criteria, project budgets and audited expenditures. Where inequity is found, mandate restitution and reallocation.

“Direct a full, independent investigation into the abduction and disappearance of the five GCCA members abducted on 30 July 2013,

including access to military logs, vehicle movement records and detention registers, with public reporting and prosecution where appropriate.

“Mandate restoration or just restitution for Christian places of worship, beginning with the church at Gwoza General Hospital, which Boko Haram did not destroy, but a solar contractor did, and also a survey to repair all destroyed churches.

“Issue federal directives to ensure equitable resettlement, land restitution and livelihood support for Christian survivors, with explicit security guarantees and a timetable for phased, safe returns. We do not trust the

Borno State government because it has repeatedly failed us on this matter.

“End systemic exclusion in education and civil service: reinstate Christian Religious Knowledge in Gwoza public schools and ensure fair representation in civil service and local governance, backed by transparent, free local electoral processes.

“Provide immediate humanitarian, legal and psychosocial assistance to the

five women and 17 children of the missing and to vulnerable Christian families in IDP/refugee settings. Mobilise targeted federal humanitarian aid for the identified 27 Gwoza Christian IDP camps and the Minawao Refugee camp.

“In the spirit of transformative justice, publicly acknowledge the specific

grievances of Gwoza Christians and commit to concrete timelines and oversight mechanisms for remediation.

“Providing a military battalion and barracks in Gwoza-East to deter the insurgents’ regrouping and growth is essential.

“Your Excellency, establish a special repatriation and resettlement committee to achieve effective outcomes. The committee should have diverse professionals, religious leaders and representatives of the people being resettled.

“GCCA does not seek confrontation but truth, justice and a dignified path home. We urge Mr President, the father of the nation, to demonstrate federal concern and leadership by meeting these demands.”