Lagos - Boko Haram militants are in charge of at
least 25 towns and villages in the northeast, the
region's Roman Catholic bishop has claimed,
warning of a deteriorating security situation.
Bishop Oliver Dashe said 10 towns in Yobe state,
the same number in Borno and five in Adawama
had fallen to the rebels over the last month, as
they seek to carve out a hardline Islamic state.
International assistance was now required to
tackle the problem, he told the Nigerian Catholic
Bishops' Conference in the southern city of Warri,
Delta state, on Wednesday.
"As a nation we are almost losing this battle
because it is spinning out of control," he added.
"The earlier we come together as Nigerians,
forgetting our religious, ethnic, regional, cultural
and ideological differences to face this menace
the better for us."
The government has denied losing territory to
Boko Haram and the military has dismissed as
"empty" the militants' claim last month that one
captured town was part of an Islamic caliphate.
Independent verification that militants have
overrun towns and villages is hard to come by
because communications have been destroyed.
Most reports have come from the thousands of
residents who have fled their homes to go to
other towns and cities in the northeast and wider
region.
Military top brass this month admitted that the
militants' territorial ambitions were a threat to
Nigeria's sovereignty.
A series of counter-attacks have been launched in
recent days, which they claim have successfully
recaptured towns.
Dashe said Boko Haram-related violence had
devastated the Diocese of Maiduguri, which he
represents and covers all three northeast states.
The heavily armed militants were getting the
better of the military, while the region was facing
a humanitarian crisis because of the thousands
displaced, he added.
He criticised the government for "almost inaction"
and its "lukewarm attitude" in tackling insecurity,
which had seen young men forcibly conscripted
into the militants' ranks and women forced to
marry Islamist fighters.
"We used to think that salt is the cheapest
commodity in the market, well, life is cheaper
now, especially in the northeastern part of
Nigeria," he told delegates.
"The bottom line is that the government and our
political leaders have failed us and we have lost
total trust and confidence in our government and
our leaders."
least 25 towns and villages in the northeast, the
region's Roman Catholic bishop has claimed,
warning of a deteriorating security situation.
Bishop Oliver Dashe said 10 towns in Yobe state,
the same number in Borno and five in Adawama
had fallen to the rebels over the last month, as
they seek to carve out a hardline Islamic state.
International assistance was now required to
tackle the problem, he told the Nigerian Catholic
Bishops' Conference in the southern city of Warri,
Delta state, on Wednesday.
"As a nation we are almost losing this battle
because it is spinning out of control," he added.
"The earlier we come together as Nigerians,
forgetting our religious, ethnic, regional, cultural
and ideological differences to face this menace
the better for us."
The government has denied losing territory to
Boko Haram and the military has dismissed as
"empty" the militants' claim last month that one
captured town was part of an Islamic caliphate.
Independent verification that militants have
overrun towns and villages is hard to come by
because communications have been destroyed.
Most reports have come from the thousands of
residents who have fled their homes to go to
other towns and cities in the northeast and wider
region.
Military top brass this month admitted that the
militants' territorial ambitions were a threat to
Nigeria's sovereignty.
A series of counter-attacks have been launched in
recent days, which they claim have successfully
recaptured towns.
Dashe said Boko Haram-related violence had
devastated the Diocese of Maiduguri, which he
represents and covers all three northeast states.
The heavily armed militants were getting the
better of the military, while the region was facing
a humanitarian crisis because of the thousands
displaced, he added.
He criticised the government for "almost inaction"
and its "lukewarm attitude" in tackling insecurity,
which had seen young men forcibly conscripted
into the militants' ranks and women forced to
marry Islamist fighters.
"We used to think that salt is the cheapest
commodity in the market, well, life is cheaper
now, especially in the northeastern part of
Nigeria," he told delegates.
"The bottom line is that the government and our
political leaders have failed us and we have lost
total trust and confidence in our government and
our leaders."
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