Catholic churches in north-east Nigeria are witnessing a surge in worshippers, with bishops reporting that the faithful are returning “of their 1000’s, not a whole bunch” despite greater than a decade of brutal violence.
Bishop Oliver Doeme and Bishop John Bakeni of Maiduguri Diocese in Borno State told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that congregations have grown beyond pre-insurgency levels, even after years of displacement, killings and destruction.
Maiduguri was the birthplace of Boko Haram, whose campaign of terror since 2009 has left an estimated 20,000 people dead and compelled greater than two million from their homes.
According to Bishop Doeme, throughout the height of the violence, over 90,000 Catholics were forced to flee the diocese and over a thousand were killed. In addition, over 210 churches were destroyed.
Yet today, the bishops say, the image is markedly different.
“The faith of our people is unshakeable,” Bishop Doeme told ACN. “The variety of Catholics we’ve in our diocese now’s greater than the variety of Catholics we had before the Boko Haram crisis.”
He pointed to an increase in weddings, First Holy Communions and baptisms – with child baptisms alone reaching 1,000 – as evidence of renewed spiritual life.
One focus of this revival is the Whuabazhi Pilgrimage Centre, established with ACN’s support, which is drawing record crowds.
The bishops said it was a spot where “people come back healed” and that it’s a centre that provides hope and direction, particularly for young people.
During the worst years of the insurgency, especially between 2009 and 2014, Christian communities within the region suffered organised attacks that emptied entire villages. 100 out of the 279 people abducted, including children, have still not returned.
Some young men were forcibly recruited by extremists and remain missing, based on Biship Doeme’s account to ACN.
Even so, clergy continued to travel to rural communities to have a good time the sacraments, often at considerable personal risk.
Bishop Doeme said persecution had, paradoxically, strengthened the Church.
“The moment the church faces persecution, the people change into more alive, their faith becomes more lively” he told ACN. “Despite gunshots … bomb attacks … series of attacks … you’ll discover them going to Masses for his or her sacraments.”
While security in Maiduguri has “improved” in comparison with another regions, Bishop Bakeni warned that much of Nigeria stays deeply unstable.
“There is a cloud of fear, anxiety and insecurity hovering over our country,” he said. “Every day Nigerians are being killed, or abducted or kidnapped. This has change into a reality.”
Elsewhere within the country, Catholic leaders have renewed calls for stronger government motion to curb violence.
In Taraba State, recent attacks blamed on militant Fulani herdsmen left 10 villagers dead and whole communities devastated.
Clergy in Wukari Diocese report that over 100 people have been killed in recent months, with greater than 200 churches and communities razed and tens of 1000’s displaced.
Pope Leo XIV has also voiced sorrow over the continued bloodshed and urged prayers for peace.
Against this backdrop, the resurgence of church life in Maiduguri has struck local leaders as remarkable.
“Ordinarily, when persons are confronted with violence, the church ought to be less populated,” Bishop Bakeni said. “But what we’re seeing is the alternative.”
He added: “As bad because the persecution is, that is the testimonies we’ve. It’s the testimonies of religion and the religion which is tested.”
