Attack by Boko Haram kills Nigerian Brethren, EYN president requests continued prayer

Samuel Dali, president of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria or EYN), sent news today by e-mail of a new attack by Boko Haram in which several EYN members were killed. Boko Haram is an extremist sect in northern Nigeria violently seeking a “pure” Islamic state, and is responsible for last month’s abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria.

Photo by Nathan and Jennifer Hosler

Samuel Dali (at right), president of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), with his wife Rebecca S. Dali.

In breaking news from Nigeria, twin bombings in the business district of Jos, a city in central Nigeria, have killed at least 118 people and wounded at least 45. If carried out by Boko Haram, this bombing would rank among the deadliest of its five-year insurrection. Find a BBC article at www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27493940# .

Attack on Shawa village kills five Brethren

Dali shared news from Shawa village that “the village was attacked by Boko Haram last night and nine people were killed. Five of the nine people are members of EYN. Also, 49 houses belonging to our members have been burnt down and our local church has been burnt down completely.

“Please, continue to pray for EYN and Nigeria,” he wrote in his e-mail to Church of the Brethren denominational staff in the US.

Today also happens to be Dr. Dali’s birthday, he added with an ironic note.

Rebecca Dali, wife of EYN president Samuel Dali, also sent an e-mail yesterday asking for continued prayers and support. Her nonprofit organization CCEPI (Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives) has focused on work with women and children affected by the violence, orphans, and refugees who have been fleeing to neighboring countries and those displaced within Nigeria.

“We need your prayers,” she wrote, “now there is virtually no security in Borno State, especially outside Maiduguri. Many have fled to Cameroon. In refugee camps in Cameroon and [for] some who are displaced there was no food, medical, or other kinds of help. The government, even when warned, does not stop the violence. People are suffering.”

Samuel Dali was interviewed by the BBC World Service on May 14, when he spoke with Newsday's Lawrence Pollard. He talked about the feelings of the parents of the missing Chibok schoolgirls, and the fact that those families have received no help from the Nigerian government, and about suspicions that Boko Haram may have infiltrated the Nigerian army and other government bodies. Listen to the audio interview at https://soundcloud.com/#bbc-world-service/pastor-says-nigerian-government-failing-families-of-kidnapped-schoolgirls.

To give to the EYN Compassion Fund, which provides aid to Nigerian Brethren affected by the violence, go to www.brethren.org/eyncompassion.

Source: 5/20/2014 Newsline