Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 36:1 (Oct 2023)
Article: The Effects Of Boko Haram On The Church In Nigeria: The Case Of Michika Local Government Area, Adamawa State
Author: Roseline Luka Vandi

Conspectus 36:1 (October 2023) p. 35

The Effects Of Boko Haram On The Church In Nigeria: The Case Of Michika Local Government Area, Adamawa State

Roseline Luka Vandi

St. Paul’s University

About The Author

Ms. Roseline Luka Vandi is a Lecturer and Theologian. She holds a Bachelor of Divinity Degree (B.D.D. 2005) and a Master of Theology (M.Th. 2008) from the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN), and a PGDE (2016) from the National Teachers’ Institute in Kaduna, Nigeria. Prior to her doctoral studies at Saint Paul’s University in Kenya, Roseline was a Lecturer at TCNN. Roseline recently defended her Ph.D. thesis and will graduate in November 2023. Her area of expertise is Practical Theology, specializing in counselling. E-mail: [email protected]

This article: https://www.sats.ac.za/conspectus/effects-boko-haram-church-nigeria https://doi.org/10.54725/conspectus.2023.3.3

Abstract

Boko Haram’s insurgence wreaked havoc in some Nigerian societies. The Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State was specifically affected from September 2014 to February 2015, when the insurgents laid siege to the city. The insurgents left many people homeless, sick, or dead, and many properties were also destroyed. The Church of the Brethren, known in Hausa as Ekklisiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, (EYN), was at the center of this destruction. This article discusses the effects of Boko Haram, focusing on its impact on the church in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The article looks at how the church struggles after the impact of Boko Haram. These struggles include economic, theological, and pastoral care challenges. The study adopts a critical phenomenological research method because the subject demands that the experiences of the victims be documented and interpreted. The study found that many people in the Michika Local Government Area sustained injuries, and lost property, loved ones, or even their own lives. Some women were also raped. Because of the people’s predicament, the church has been drastically affected. Despite these divesting effects, the government has not yet done enough to help the victims. The church also struggles to provide theological responses to the problem. This article recommends that religious leaders have a more significant role than anyone else in providing comfort, rehabilitation, empowerment, and seeking justice for the residents.

Keywords

Boko Haram, church, pacifism, theological challenges, socioeconomic challenges, pastoral-care challenges

Conspectus 36:1 (October 2023) p. 36

1. Introduction

Much like the time of the early church, where the followers of Jesus Christ were se...