How Borno stopped issuing C of O to churches since 1979

Following the killing of a pastor’s son during demolition of a church building by security agents in Borno during the week, the Christian Association of Nigeria has revealed a decades-long conspiracy against churches in the state.

Bishop Mohammed Naga, Borno’s CAN chairman, said the body raised the matter when two churches were demolished and shut down on a single day in 2020.

“His Excellency the governor even spoke on the issue; and it was our assumption was he would address the problem. Sadly we did not know that there are many more that will even follow that demolition,” he said.

He revealed that the state government has made it a tradition to deprive churches of land documents.

“I want to assure you that we have been here in this state. We are born here and brought up here. And we can tell you categorically that the last Certificate of Occupancy given to church was in 1979. And since then no church gets any land certificate,” he said.

“Had it been that the government of Borno state gives certificates for churches to build their places of worship, this (shooting) incident would not have happened.

According to him, government does not allocate land to churches.

“Christians are forced to buy a piece of land and build a place of worship where they are living.”

Borno, in the northeastern region, remains predominantly Islamic.

Extremists, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, and others have declared their intention to establish an Islamic caliphate across the region.