Nigeria: Temporary homes of 80 Christians demolished

At least 80 internally displaced Christians have been left destitute after authorities in Abuja, Nigeria, demolished their makeshift shelters without warning.

The believers were among more than 130 people living in Durumi camp when the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) arrived at 7am on 22 December 2022 and destroyed the shelters. It happened during what’s known as the Harmattan season, when temperatures are freezing.

The authorities say they demolished the camp because of criminality and it not hosting ‘any meaningful employment or serious activities’. However, a believer told Open Doors local partners that they see it as a deliberate action against Christians. “We were not notified before the bulldozers came to pull down the shelter, and no official has spoken to us about plans to relocate us to other places,” they said.

Living on the street

The Durumi camp was created in 2014 and is one of 20 sites in Abuja that’s home to over 1,000 internally displaced people (IDPs). Many are vulnerable people fleeing Boko Haram attacks from areas like Gwoza, Chibok and Gamburu Gala in the north east. Abuja has recently become a popular IDP destination, as it offers a more stable environment for IDPs that want to rebuild their lives.

The displaced are now living on the street close to the demolished camps, with little or no food and deplorable sanitary conditions.

Nigeria rose to number 6 on the World Watch List because of escalating jihadist violence. Christians continue to be attacked indiscriminately and brutally in northern Nigeria, and the violence has now spread to southern Nigeria. As the government persists in its official position of denial of religious persecution, Christians’ rights continue to be violated with impunity – as demonstrated in the destruction of this IDP camp.