Destruction of Church Facilities in Zamfara State 

By Troy Augustine and ICC’s Nigeria Staffer

On January 19, the bulldozer rolled swiftly, accompanied by officials of the Urban and Regional Planning Board, along with fully armed policemen.  No emergency existed to warrant such hasty action, but officials stood determined to tear down Christian buildings.

The targeted structures included the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church School and the Nigerian Christian Corps Fellowship Family House, in Gusau, the capital city of Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria.

A Constitutional Contradiction

In 2000, barely one year after Nigeria returned to democratic rule, terminating decades of military dictatorship, the political leadership of Zamfara declared sharia Islamic law to govern the state.  Though Zamfara is predominantly Muslim, it remains bound by the Nigerian Constitution, which protects religious freedom.

Chapter IV, Section 38 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”

Sixteen years later, Zamfara State exists under a constitutional contradiction, pitting the Muslim majority against the law and leaving local Christians to suffer persecution from a system they did not choose.

Christians Called a “Disturbance”

When asked why the Urban Planning Board demolished its church building, the Anglican Bishop of Gusau, Rt. Rev. John Danbinta, told International Christian Concern (ICC), “We were told by the government agency that they had received a petition from the community that the presence of the church is a disturbance to them.”

According to Bishop Danbinta, this claim was ridiculous because the church building stands nearly three-quarters of a mile away from any residential neighborhoods.

Christian churches already face challenges acquiring land on which to build in Gusau. Bishop Danbinta disclosed that the present plot of land was donated by a church member who had relocated from Gusau.

“The government in this state will hardly allocate land for a church building and will hardly grant a permit for the erection of a church building,” he said.

When the church applied with the local government for a permit to construct, officials relentlessly kept their request in processing indefinitely. Once construction commenced, they never issued a stop order, nor did they provide notice of demolition before rolling in the bulldozers.

“Truth is that the government officials are biased against Christians and would find a subtle way to deny, knowing fully well that the outright refusal to grant approval would be in contravention of the Nigerian Constitution.  It is clearly discrimination,” ICC’s Nigeria staffer said.

In a nation governed by religious freedom under the law, local governments do not maintain the right to oppress citizens of minority status, manipulating official procedures to deny them rights. That’s what happened in January when local officials sent the bulldozers to demolish the Anglican Church building in Gusau.

“When members scampered to remove Bibles and other worship vessels before the rubble covered them, they were harassed and pushed away,” Bishop Danbinta lamented.

Government agents even reportedly tore the shirt off of the church’s senior pastor.

The Anglican Church has 200 members and is still growing. The building construction had reached the roofing level with the supporting iron truss already mounted, but the unfinished structure was completely razed to nothing.

The cruel act of intimidation was likely aimed to expel the congregation from that area.  However, these Christians stand boldly, despite the persecution.

“We will not leave this place, we don’t have any other alternative,” the congregation courageously declared.  “Our members are clearing the rubble; we will raise a temporary structure and continue to worship in this place,” Bishop Danbinta said.

Christians “Demoralized”

Leaders of the Nigeria Christian Corps Fellowship (NCCF), Gusau faced the same kind of building destruction as the Anglican Church. They described the persecution as a “devastating and demoralizing event.” 

When the bulldozer showed up without warning and broke through a block wall fence on the property, the show of force took members by surprise. Witnesses accused police of threatening to shoot anyone that tried to stop them.

The NCCF Family House provides accommodations for stranded National Youth Service Corps members posted to Zamfara State for the mandatory post-college one year national service. Being a national body recognized and duly registered by Nigerian authorities, the NCCF has similar facilities in several other states in Nigeria.

The corps members had embarked on an expansion of the facility to accommodate the growing need.

Persecution Nothing New in Gutau

Prior to the demolition, the Christian Corps members had periodically faced violent attacks by their Muslim neighbors, including stoning during fellowship activities resulting in broken windows and property damage to the building.

Members also reported unprovoked attacks with machetes and knives, mob gatherings at the front of the building, and arson threats to the building as well as burglary and theft.

Despite having reported such incidents in the past to law enforcement, sadly, the police also participated in the building demolition. Even worse, the event drew a crowd of Muslim neighbors who gathered around the facility cheering the destruction, according to Christian witnesses.

The NCCF Zamfara has endured similar challenges surrounding the facility’s construction since purchasing the land plot in 1999. Members recall their Muslim neighbors damaging the building’s foundation.  They have also faced arbitrary delays in official approval of their building applications and this latest destruction came without advance warning.

“We were all astonished, emotionally battered and psychologically shattered when they stormed the building and demolished it without any notification or court warrant,” the group lamented. “It is crystal clear that the demolition of the building which was raised with the sweat, tears and hard-earned allowances of Corps members is illegal, unjust and unfair,” they said.

In defiance of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees freedom of worship, Christians in the largely Muslim-dominated north continue to face discrimination and persecution, some of which are similarly linked to the government officials.

For interviews Please Contact Troy Augustine, Regional Manager for Africa: [email protected]

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