Kaduna Banditry: We’ve closed over 200 churches and lost 23 pastors in four years – CAN

Other attendees at the conference urged the police commissioner to follow through on his promises to hunt out the bandits.

According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), over 200 churches have been closed and 23 pastors have been slain as a result of bandit attacks in some areas of Kaduna State over the previous four years.

The data were revealed by the Kaduna State Chairman of the CAN, Reverend Joseph Hayab, during a meeting to establish trust with Christian leaders from the 23 Local Government Areas and the state Commissioner of Police, Musa Garba.

“Let me say this to you, Commissioner: Kaduna has had almost 200 churches shut down. From Birni Gwari to Chukun and Kajuru, the Baptists have closed around 115 churches; these churches are no longer in existence.

“The kind of situation we are dealing with is evident when you visit many churches today; many of the pastors work for churches that have closed because they are unable to continue.

“ECWA can provide you with information about hundreds of their churches, including Assemblies of God, Catholic churches, and many others. The Kaduna CAN Chairman stated that as a result of the unrest in Kaduna State, we were obliged to suspend operations.

Other speakers at the conference urged the police commissioner to follow through on his comments by pursuing the bandits and to take sanctions against religious figures who deliver hateful sermons and speeches into consideration.

Communities in Kaduna State have seen a variety of banditry and terrorism-related effects, including the loss of hundreds of innocent lives and the destruction of property worth millions of naira, including places of worship.

In addition to the massive humanitarian crisis brought on by the internal displacement of thousands of people, criminal groups’ activities also interrupted their sources of income.