MAIDUGURI NOVEMBER 13, 2015 (CISA) – Bishop Oliver Dash Doeme, of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, has called for assistance for displaced people affected by Boko Haram.
“We need concrete help from the international community, so that the Nigerian youth do not grow up in ignorance and illiteracy,” said the bishop whose diocese in the north–east of Nigeria is the most affected by the violence of Boko Haram.
In the past six years, about 60,000 faithful of the diocese were forced to flee their homes, 50 churches were destroyed in the diocese and 150,000 people killed, reported Fides.
“The main problem is the many displaced and internal refugees (about 60,000) still present in our diocese, both here in Maiduguri and in some villages,” said Bishop Doeme.
“We need material and financial support to help these people. We have two categories of people to help: those who are still displaced and those who have returned to their villages of origin but do not have anything because everything has been destroyed by the devastating fury of Boko Haram; they have no food, no work,” he added.
“There are no basic necessities such as drinking water, food and medicines,” said the bishop. Boko Haram violence has killed at least 17,000 people and forced more than 2.5 million to flee their homes since 2009.
The group has also carried out deadly cross-border attacks in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In April last year the group adducted more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok town, Borno state.
