Nigeria: Churches Damaged In Religious Violence Ordered To Vacate Premises 01/08/2008

Nigeria: churches damaged in religious violence ordered to vacate premises 01/08/2008 The congregations of two churches that were extensively damaged last year during religious violence in the Tudun-Wada area of Kano State, northern Nigeria, have been ordered to vacate their premises to make way for the construction of a court house. The leaders of the Baptist Church and Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) were informed of a decision by the Kano State Ministry of Justice to compulsorily purchase their church sites during a meeting with Tudun-Wada’s Village Head on 29 July 2008. The church leaders were also instructed to immediately vacate their premises, and to name a price for their sites. When they requested more time in order to consult their respective denominational authorities, the men were told to return within two days, or risk losing the land and any compensation. However, during a meeting with church officials on 31 July that was also attended by local representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and members of a Nigerian human rights NGO, the Village Head finally agreed to provide the churches with new sites and certificates of ownership for these sites. A meeting to finalise all outstanding issues will take place on 13 August. The Baptist and ECWA churches were largely destroyed in September 2007, when violence broke out in Tudun-Wada following still unproven allegations that a Christian student at the local high school had drawn a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed on the wall of the school’s mosque. At least nine Christians were killed, roughly 1000 were displaced, Christian homes and businesses were set on fire and around ten churches were destroyed during four hours of unremitting violence. Although they are yet to be fully rebuilt, the two churches are currently catering for Christians of all denominations, whose damaged churches are located in neighbourhoods that have effectively become “no-go” areas for non-Muslims. However, local reports indicate that both churches are regularly desecrated and have to be cleared of human bodily waste before every Church service. Stuart Windsor, National Director of CSW said: “An inordinate number of Kano’s churches have either been destroyed during religious violence, or demolished by state authorities to make way for construction projects. So far, none have received adequate compensation, alternative sites, or certificates of ownership, even when these have been promised. Consequently, while this public verbal agreement on the part of Tudun-Wada’s Village Head is a very welcome development, we urge him to follow through on this commendable undertaking. If adhered to, it could contribute significantly towards the search for justice, reconciliation and religious harmony in Kano State.”