Nigeria is in grief. The country on Saturday, November 28, 2020, witnessed one of the North-East deadliest attacks in years. 43 rice farmers were reportedly brutally rounded up and killed in a gruesome manner by suspected members of the Islamic militant group, Boko Haram in retaliation for refusing to pay extortion to a militant. The emergence of the Islamic extremist group has been a devastating experience, especially for the people in the North-East region. Furtherance to the group’s ideologies, its goal is to completely eradicate Western values and institute the Sharia law that is at variance with Christian doctrines and democracy. The minority status of Christians in this region has further put them in a more disadvantaged and insecure situation, as well as rendered them more vulnerable. Expectedly, they have suffered major attacks. Christians including the clergy, Churches and their institutions have been lost in no small measure to the insurgency. The Acting Editor, NETA NWOSU speaks with the Catholic Bishop of Bauchi, Most. Rev. Hilary Dachelem on factors that generated the insurgency, general effects, plights of Christians and possible solutions. Excerpts
Over the years, we have been experiencing insurgency in the North-East, what do you think is responsible?
There are so many factors though. It is a conglomeration of factors actually, if we are to talk about the insurgency, its genesis, its inflammation, its lack of control, and to where we find ourselves today. So, for me, I will imagine that one of the factors will be religious extremism. I think we have different kinds of Muslim sects. Not all of them are aggressive, while some are very aggressive. And these teachings that infiltrate into the country gradually, and psychologically brainwashes most of the sects in Nigeria, and they take it for real. They pursue it, hook, line and sinker, and they try to accomplish it, as if they were doing some service to God. There is this group that believes in that. So, they keep fighting believing that someday, they will definitely win this kind of war. And the fight is like the name appears Boko Haram; that is, everything western, do away with it, and then, Christianity and other things that are western. It is indeed one tiny group, some people understand it; not all Muslims belong to that group, no. And these Muslims disagree with some Muslims as well. Now, another factor is that of the political gladiators.
Those who use the Boko Haram issue when they are losing, so that it can favour them in their own political interest. So when they have interest, and they want to fan this interest to flame and succeed gallantly. So, they will try to bring the factor of religion into the matter just to make a case, where they think they have lost in every way. So, there is this side of them that claim to be sympathizers to them; that’s another group. Then, I think there is a factor of also some Nigerian top officials, some of them who are also gladiators of war. Call it military, call it anything, call it police and whatever, civil servants, other kinds of gladiators; all those for any reason when there is war, they have something to benefit from. Those ones also will not like the Boko Haram saga to come to an end. So, they will like to promote it, they will like it to continue because there is some form of benefit they are gaining from it. Now, there is also some international influence as well. Other sources can be that some group or sects coming from Iran and other places whose teachings are not in tandem with our constitutions, the tutelage interferes generally with the roots of the foundation of our constitution and rule of law.
And that gives them leverage to infiltrate into our own constitutional wellbeing, and this affects the general and smooth-running of the place. So, we find out that a number of these security operatives must have better ideas as regards origin and why it’s still here. You see, some of these factors remain one of the reasons. And another factor is the issue of educational backwardness, or what I will call poverty of intellect. The poverty of intellect is another issue because when people’s intellect is not so well developed, it is subject to manipulations by those who have attained certain degree of reasoning. So those who have gone through some kind of intellectual metamorphosis will be able to manipulate those people who are not very exposed at any given instance. So that’s also part of reason. Most of the youths in that part of the world are backward educationally. They are not in school, so that’s why you will get more of them. You might find some of these Boko Haram insurgents that are educated, but very few of them. Those that have the higher population are likely to be those ones that haven’t gotten enough education. So, another one would be the issue of poverty. Now, I mean poverty of fact; that is what I mean because of poor standard of life, poor facilities and in general, they do not have anything.
If they know that anything comes from there that can change their fate and change their destiny, and so they try to change their situations and position in life. This poverty of fact is where you see the poor of the poorest, these people can easily be lured in their pursuit to feed themselves today and tomorrow, they move out today, and they have to fend for themselves what they will get and eat that same day, so there’s no tomorrow for them. So, this exposes them to many dangers, and you find them more in the care of politicians that constitute this violent group because first of all, they are very vulnerable financially, they don’t have money, they don’t have anything to keep, and above all, they have nothing to live for. So, using them for destruction and other things keeps them moving; they are unemployed. And as you know, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. So you see, and this is part of what we are have been worried about that these our youths; the energy, the dynamism, the creativity, the enterprise, and all that you find within the youth segment of the population, sometimes is dashed to the wall, wasted, destroyed to our own disadvantage as a nation. That energy you see that is being pumped into Boko Haram, that is the energy with which in other countries, it is transformed into industrialization and capital projects and other things that the country is transformed. So, that is the truth about the situation. So, these are some of the ones that I can remember that I know that maybe making the Boko Haram phenomenon to continue to happen around the North-East.
You have listed quite a number of issues responsible for the insurgency. How do you think these issues can be resolved?
Now, there’s not just one solution. The solution must be multifaceted, just as we did variants. I talked to you about the issue of political gladiators. I talked to you about terrorism that has to come from international community. I also talked to you about the government gladiators in the country who are beneficiaries of war, and all that. That means the solution must be variegated. And if is variegated, it means to mitigate all these things, we have to carry out a serious research, and we have to deal with these things at their different arms and caprices. Which means you will pick up one and deal with it. Like now, the issue of poverty and the rest of them in the North-East, you must deal with it, especially the poverty of fact and the poverty of the intellect. These two; they are very, very serious because it is difficult for you to go and get it. I have lived in the North-East, and I have very good friends that are Muslims. And I can say with the level of communication, you will connect easily with them, those who have degrees, those who are exposed and have gone to other countries, those who have gone to higher institutions; there are things you cannot subject them to do in this country.
But those youths that have not been to school, those ones that are less exposed, those ones that have not much knowledge intellectually, those ones are downtrodden materially are very vulnerable. They need this, they need that, and they are for money. So, to eradicate for example, the poverty of fact, you must device a policy that can empower these young people, particularly in the area of youth empowerment and skills acquisition and other things like that. Then, you will be able to free some of these people from the prison of poverty of fact because if they are now able to fend for themselves, looking at their assets because for example, if you train any of them in the skill of barbing or running a salon, now, the guy who has been trained, he now has a skill. Now, he has a barbing shop, he has his equipment there. He has bought some seats, he has bought some TV there to keep people, he has to change glasses. All these things probably worth hundreds of thousands of naira. So, that person has something to live for, and that person will not like anything that will affect his or her assets. So, that makes it necessary for him to live responsibly, that he or she has something to live for. So, the person will not let this violence extend to the fact of losing his or her properties or assets.
So, that’s the issue there. So, that is one way to mitigate that. Then, the other one of poverty of intellect, means a policy must come out that every person, as a matter of fact, must acquire a considerable level of education, that is a total eradication of ignorance. Every person, as a matter of law, should go to school. And when we mean school, we mean school where you learn to speak English very, very well, then to read and write, you get to a certain level, not just to remain at the ignorant level where you can be brainwashed at will. So the other ones and other factors now have to do with government, and also their ability to use their intelligent departments to deal with foreigners who come, and who are the foreigners who actually infiltrated and who are misleading or who are those secret agents that are responsible for supplying weapons? These weapons are not seeds; they are not agricultural seeds that you just get a seed, and plant it, and it will grow into a weapon.
These weapons are clearly weapons of destruction, arms that are being carted into Nigeria. All these weapons, they go through air, through land or through the sea. And in all these places, there is supposed to be security agents who are supposed to make sure illegal weapons are not taken into this country. So, how come they are passing through easily? How come through the land, the airport, through the seaport, what is happening? So, the porosity of all these places must be checked. And then, the sources must be checked. Who are those sponsors of all these things? And of course, you know, the other time in the dailies, some have come with names of people that are said to be sponsors of all these. I don’t know them, but they know themselves. Those things are not supposed to be taken lightly. How can you hear of a sponsor of a terrorist or a sponsor of violence that threatens the entire integrity of a nation, and then, the person is occupying an important position in society, and you allow that matter to die off like that? It shouldn’t be. These people should be really brought to law. These people should be handled judiciously, and they should be made to face the wrath of the law. So, they are dangerous people. They are dangerous to the cooperate existence of the country. So, that is why I did say that the solutions must be multifaceted because it infringes on the different aspects of the body politic of Nigeria.
Your Diocese is unarguably one of the most affected Dioceses by several years of insurgency in the North-East, I will like you to quantify your losses?
Wow! Well, our losses are in millions of naira. It’s in millions because we lost about nine Churches in areas where this happened. I will get the accurate figures for you
Thousands of Catholics; Priests, Nuns would have been displaced, aside from the parishes and institutions that may have been destroyed. Please quantify the losses of your Diocese. Let’s look at the collateral losses.
Number of Catholics killed.
In Azare Parish which covers Yana, Gamawa, Dambam, Darazo, Itas Gadau, Jama’are, Misau, Giade, Zaki, Sade, Kari and Katagum Local Governments areas, six people were killed.
Has any Priest been killed?
No priest was killed. The Priests, Rev. Fr. Cyril Shuaibu and Fr. Justine Dyikuk escaped by the whiskers. They were pursued but they ran away from the house. Fr. Cyril’s car was burnt. The altar of the Church was burnt but for intervention of the Mobile Police who saved the Church. May we know the number of Catholics and Priests kidnapped. There was no case of any of our Catholic members kidnapped.
Thousands of Catholics would have been displaced. How many Catholics have been displaced?
More than 2,780 of our members were displaced. Our Catholic members in the whole of Azare Parish, that is, the Local Government Areas mentioned earlier fearing for their lives, relocated to safer places. In Alkaleri the Church was destroyed and the members were displaced. In Dukku, Kuri, Dadin-Kowa in Gombe State, the Churches were destroyed and the members left. In Ngalda, Yobe State, a Church near Nafada in Gombe State too was burnt and the members fled for their lives.
What is the number of Priests and Nuns displaced.
Two Priests were rendered homeless in Azare. No nun was displaced.
How about the number of Parishes destroyed?
Two of our Parish Churches were destroyed; St. Francis Xavier Azare and St, Joseph’s Bajoga. One parish, All Saints Kanoyel inside Gombe city was attacked and bullets fired at the fence and the Church during Sunday Mass but no member was killed. Other 13 outstation Churches were destroyed or partially burnt in Bulkachuwa, Gamawa, Dambam, Yana, Giade, Misau, Jama’are, Kari, Alkaleiri in Bauchi State and Dukku, Kuri, Dadin-Kowa in Gombe State and Ngalda in Yobe State.
What is the number of Schools destroyed?
No school was destroyed.
Were Convents destroyed?
No convent was destroyed.
Please tell us, how many Catholic Clinics and Rectories were destroyed?
No clinic was destroyed
Were there other collateral losses?
Church buildings, parish house and a car.
On Saturday, November 28, 2020, we got report, according to UN that 110 rice farmers were killed on Saturday. Although the Nigerian Army is insisting that they are 43, and not 110, I would like you to tell us what you think ignited the beheading of these farmers?
I think the demon of destruction seem to have entered this country. This is no longer an issue of Boko Haram, the ghosts and demons of destruction and annihilation seem to be what is creeping into this country. I don’t know where it’s coming from, but some of the things that are happening in Nigeria today, some of them are almost incredible. I haven’t enough knowledge or more facts surrounding this scenario, but trust from its prima facie on face value, I have always told some reporters and journalists that have come to me before that life remains sacred, and no person’s life is greater than the other person’s life. Life is sacred. And the more we start compromising the value of life in any way, in any place, at any level, wherever, then, you know that we all will face the music, all of us. Whoever knew that something like Coronavirus would come, and it will start from the top to bottom? Because the tendency is that you ought to think that it’s going to begin from the bottom; that the sufferers are always coming from the bottom. But the sufferers of Coronavirus this time around, came from top to bottom.
So, if you want a Nigeria that all of us like to live in happily and truthfully, do let us come out for it and do the Nigeria that all of us will live peacefully. Let us create it. Now, if I say the other life is not so important after all, let him go or let her go, the next life will be either my son, my brother, my sister, my father, and I tell you, as far as God’s mathematics is concerned, no man is free, none of us is free. So, the earlier, we begin to think of a peaceful, sacred, happy Nigeria, where all of us will be happy, safe, the better for us. When we talk about safety, people will think it is about carrying a long convoy. What is the essence you carry convoy and then malaria can leech you off? And what is the need carrying even a long convoy? You are carrying a long convoy, and even one of those soldiers that is your bodyguard has what to exterminate you, just one of them. If he wants you off, there are ways to get you exterminated. Those guys you call bodyguards and all that. How are you sure you are 100 percent safe in the hands of that bodyguard? And who told you that that bodyguard isn’t having somebody more important to his life than yourself? Who told you simply because you command him, he obeys, and you pay him, and you think he has submitted 100 percent to you? How can you guarantee that that secret place is not for you? You will never know it.
Who told you that that bodyguard cannot quietly when he is moving in for his work on that day on convoy carry a bomb and put it inside one of his pockets, and then, all of you will be destroyed, and then he has settled all his family. So, the earlier we work on these aberrations that are affecting us as a nation, in all honesty, in all sincerity, the better for all of us. The death culture is never the right culture. So, this death culture, which most of us are beginning to imbibe and follow is unacceptable anywhere in the world. It’s contrary to the universal norms of morality. It’s contrary to rules everywhere. Anywhere you are travelling, when it’s not even six o’clock, you see people are speeding. If you carry out a survey, you find out that most accidents occur between five o’clock in the evening to maybe nine o’clock, you see the rate of accidents, why? Because people are rushing to get home early. So, they are not following the code of conduct of driving. So, they just drive anyhow carelessly; they just want to get home. So, this will be my own take on this matter.
How is your Diocese coping with these challenges?
It’s very tough on us generally. It’s not easy because those Churches that have been destroyed previously by the Boko Haram have not been rebuilt, and some, we have been struggling to see how they can be fixed. Now, this axis has been a poverty stricken area ab initio, even before the Boko Haram. Then now, with the Boko Haram, you can imagine, this is what some people call double tragedy. So, it becomes very, very tough for us, and it became toughest, even during the Coronavirus saga because at that point, there were no Masses said, everywhere was locked down, it was hard for people to see the Priests and religious, it was pretty tough for us to go into the sacred savings we ever had, and empty everything in order to get them going. So, we were just living that way. So, we’ve not finished rebuilding it, and we also have a problem and a project. We are trying to make sure educational facilities are there, also collaborate with the educational programme and project of the State, to make sure that we reduce this ignorance that is bedeviling our people, and that makes it easier for many of them to be co opted into the insurgency. So, we are trying to do that so, we are building schools, but no money.
Sometimes, we have the schools, and when we build a block, before you build the next one, you have to wait. So, a lot of things. There are many areas today that they don’t have education, and there’s a big population there. And the Churches too, we are engaged in also trying to get hospitals. We have started a hospital, one or two of them, but still we lack funds to equip the hospital. So, the goodwill is there, but it’s very, very tough because no matter who you are, insurgency or no insurgency, the question of health and the question of education and the provision of basic facilities like water. Like one of our places, in Biwiri. We have brought the Sisters, we have managed to convert the Church to a hospital, but again, we can’t get water easily. So, in order to get water, we start sinking a bore-hole, and not any kind of bore-hole because not any kind of machine can get that kind of bore-hole to provide water for the community and the hospital. So, how can you run a hospital without water? And there’s no light, so, how can you carry out surgeries without light. So, another one is we don’t have enough money to pay the doctors.
So, since I came into the Diocese over three years plus, I think we have been able to start two hospitals with one in the Bauchi Town. We needed a hospital that is close to the Specialist Hospital. You know the Catholic Church has always been known for being frontiers in the area of medicare and education. So, we have been trying to see how we can help equip the hospital, and get more doctors to be on board, and their services will help us so that we can have alternatives, other options, outside the Federal Medical Center or the state hospital, so that we can get quality services in terms of service delivery. You want to see a Doctor now; you don’t have to keep queuing. There are instances of how some people died in the process of waiting for their own turns to see the Doctor. So, that is an issue. Then, we have a Secondary School like I told you, one of the best in the town. But still, we have a number of things; we don’t even have a Hall for them to write exams. We don’t have a speech making Hall. We don’t have where to gather. Those are concerns we have seriously. We don’t have enough classes for them, and then, we don’t have some equipment, and some laboratory equipment, but still, one of best in town. So, those challenges that we face so seriously around here that we don’t know really what to do. And when we hear some of you mention millions or billions Naira, some of us almost collapse from where we are sitting. And here are we looking for 100,000, 200,000 Naira to just fix these things. It can change the life of many. And at the other side again, there are those who want to go to School in the Tafa Balewa side of my Diocese, but no school fees and nobody to fend for them. These are other sides to it. So if you have all these things. We are face to face with poverty if you are here. Sincerely, it is not a joking matter.
Often times, we hear that Christians in the Northern Region are considered second-class citizens, and that are deprived of political rights and access to public jobs. We like to have your take on this?
Not everywhere. It’s true that some think so of that, we’ve seen that, but not everywhere. In Bauchi where I live for example, I think the Governor is making a lot of positive gestures to see that there is fairness. I have to be fair to him in my view because last time we just visited him, and we talked about a few things that we discovered, and he was open. But I know that in the past, such things may have happened in some places, and he may not like some bit of it, even some people. But, I think it’s always a problem of dominance of majority over minority. It’s not necessarily about this issue alone because wherever you find a group of majority, the tendency is for them to dominate the minorities. In Bauchi here, the Muslims are almost 80 or 90 percent. Christians are less than 20 percent. So that situation, sometimes, you are almost forgotten unless you make some noise or say look o, we are here o otherwise, no, some of those things. But it doesn’t always have to be violent. Sometimes, you can remind them. So, I believe also, good collaboration can reduce or bridge the gap on that issue. I think it is also one of the reasons that we started that hospital because we have a case of that kind of sectional treatment. But I must say not all Muslims do that, I must tell you the truth. Many Muslims are very good. There are also Christians that are very bad. So, it’s an issue that most of the time we have to as much as possible present, dissect the issue and understand the cause. So, it’s not always a Christian/ Muslim addressing, it’s about individuals most of the time; how they have received their faith, their world view, their backgrounds and also their ambition. These things are the things that determine a lot about the coexistence of us around here. So, I must say sincerely that a good number of Muslims are very good and very understanding, while as I told you before, there are some violent sects whereby from their teaching, they abhor anything Christianity. So, those ones, not only Christians suffer from them, even Muslims suffer in their hands.
