When Bishop Stephen Mamza’s brother was murdered by Boko Haram in the state of Borno, Nigeria, last December one of his first responses was to get rid of the security policemen guarding his home. Most of us would question the sense of doing this and shudder at the possible dangers of such a move.
For Bishop Stephen however it is quite simple.
“Firstly, I have faith in God and I have absolutely no control over the situation. My brother’s callous murder crystallised things in my mind. I can’t live my life in fear of extremists whose only purpose is to fan the flames of hatred and destroy the lives of innocent people for whom life is hard enough.”
Bishop Stephen was talking during a recent visit to Dublin (in reality, a return visit for a cleric who previously served as a priest in the pastoral area of Ballinteer, Meadowbrook and Dundrum in Dublin and is a former student of both the Kimmage Development Studies Centre and the Milltown Institute.)
Recalling the day of his brother’s murder, Bishop Stephen says “Borno is just one of three states in Nigeria who are under a partial state of emergency following the ongoing killing spree of the Boko Haram”.
“My brother was a special security agent who was working at the Air Force base that day when the Boko Haram attacked it. They shot him dead and then bombed the base. My God, it was terrible. That day started as a happy joyful day. The Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Paddy Fay, was at a dinner in my house with lots of other people, including my mother. After they all left I got the terrible news. I was devastated as I was very close to my brother”.
“It was heart-breaking having to tell my mother and my extended family but I am conscious that murders such as these are daily realities for my people”.
Chaos and fear
Since 2009, official figures estimate that Boko Haram, which translates as Western Education is Sin, has the blood of over 4,000 people on its hands. Intent on destroying secular society in mostly Muslim Nigeria, the extreme Islamist group is wreaking terror in the country.
Bishop Stephen says: “We had extreme Islamic sects in the ‘80s but the government was able to contain them. They were unsophisticated and badly armed. These are different. They are armed to the teeth and are totally and utterly ruthless. They will and have killed on sight. In the beginning they targeted police stations, prisons, banks and churches but now they are becoming more vicious and will target anybody. They have even slaughtered moderate Muslims. They have bombs, armoured tanks and other deadly weapons. They are highly organised and are becoming more so. Their numbers are growing and they fall into the 15 to 25 age group. There is speculation as to who is funding them, we don’t know for sure but what we do know is that many of them are being recruited in Chad and Niger. They are a deadly dangerous force and they thrive on chaos and fear.”
The most recent outrage committed by the Boko Haram, that of the kidnapping of approximately 240 schoolgirls on April 14,has caused shock waves in the state of Borno. The girls were taken in the dead of night when the Boko Haram arrived in convoy, bombed the school and killed the military who were guarding the compound.
A tinderbox
“It is a desperate situation. The girls are being held in the Sambisa forest which is vast and is a stronghold of Boko Haram. Just some of the girls were lucky enough to escape just after their kidnapping but it must be Hell for the remaining girls in captivity. The horrors they must be enduring are just unimaginable.”
As for possible government intervention, Bishop Stephen says that while the situation is “being handled as best it can, it is very dangerous and volatile. The military can’t just rush into the forest. It is a tinderbox. It could be a bloodbath and all of us conscious of that. I think that the whole country is united in its horror of what is happening in our midst. We are all praying for the girls and for their families. We need political and religious dialogue to try and put an end to this situation. Our people deserve better than this”.
As he prepares to return home, Bishop Stephen says that he is looking forward to meeting his parishioners, to try and offer solace, solidarity and support and bring with him the good wishes of the Irish people.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Ireland for their continuing prayers and I humbly ask them to continue”.
Bishop Stephen was accompanied by Fr Maurice Kwairanga who has been studying in Mount Argus since last September. He too is returning home to Nigeria shortly, saying the “clergy have to stand by their people”.
Sally McEllistrim is PR Manager for World Missions Ireland www.wmi.ie