200 Christian families arrive Jos from Yobe

Posted by admin Headlines, Plateau, State News, Yobe Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Over 200 Christian families from Yobe State and environs have taken refuge in some church premises within Jos, the Plateau State capital for alleged increasing threats to their lives and property in that part of the country.

The families who were mainly n COCIN headquarters and ECWA Jarawa said they decided to leave various parts of Yobe State to other neighbouring states following increasing threats by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram. One of them, Mrs. Jenifer Mang while speaking with journalists accused the government of Yobe State of not prodviding them adequate security, thus forcing them to leave the state.
She lamented that “our political and traditional leaders have failed to provide us with the needed security, and we cannot protect ourselves, so we decided to relocate to Plateau State.

Speaking earlier, ECWA Church DCC Chairman Rev. Garba Bangalo left disclosed that about 600 persons had left for Nasarawa and Adamawa States, stressing that some Christian families were still planning to leave the state, to seek for a more peaceful environment to live in.
He challenged authorities concerned to provide security for them as they are in distress. He vowed that they would not go back to Yobe State if their safety was not assured “until the federal and state government provide us with adequate securities, none of us here is willing or thinking of returning to that insecure state,” he said

The Yobe ECWA DCC chairman also alleged that there was lawlessness in the state, as innocent persons are being killed for no just course “we initially thought the insecurity was a general issue affecting all citizens, but to our surprise, our churches were being burnt; our people were killed. He pointed out that “as at last count, 32 churches have been burnt down by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect, and to our amazement, the government of Yobe state has not deem it fit to even condole us for the loses, both in human and material, that is why we have to run for our lives.”

Prof. Etannibi Akmika of the ECWA Headquarters and chairman relief committee of the ECWA churches in Jos while assuring them of their safety in Jos stated that they will be provided with tempory accommodations and feeding pending when normalcy returns to that state.wp_posts