Catholics in Maiduguri return to worship “in their thousands” as faith resurges after 15 years of Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria.
Newsroom (20/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) After fifteen years of violent insurgency, the Catholic Church in northern Nigeria is witnessing a powerful resurgence. In Maiduguri, once the epicenter of Boko Haram’s destruction, Catholics are returning to their churches “in their thousands,” reigniting parish life across the devastated region.
The leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, including Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme and his Auxiliary Bishop John Bogna Bakeni, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the faithful who fled during the height of the insurgency are flocking back in astonishing numbers. “The faith of our people is unshakable,” Bishop Doeme affirmed. “We have more Catholics in our diocese now than before the Boko Haram crisis.”
From Ruins to Renewal
Between 2009 and 2014, Maiduguri’s Catholic communities endured a wave of brutal attacks. Entire villages were razed, over 200 churches and ten parishes were destroyed, and thousands of homes and clinics lay in ashes. More than 90,000 Catholics were displaced, over a thousand were killed, and nearly three hundred were kidnapped—many of whom remain missing.
Young men were conscripted into Boko Haram’s ranks, families were torn apart, and towns once alive with Sunday worship fell silent. Yet through those years, Bishop Doeme recalls, Church leaders never ceased ministering. “Despite the bombings and gunfire, priests continued going out to villages to administer the sacraments,” he said. “Persecution did not kill our faith—it gave it life.”
Unshakable Faith and Growing Congregations
As peace slowly returns, the diocese is witnessing a rebirth of faith on an extraordinary scale. Weddings, baptisms, and First Communions have multiplied dramatically. “The difference is in thousands, not in the hundreds,” Bishop Doeme said. “The number of children receiving Holy Communion and baptism has shot up to over 1,000.”
Masses now overflow with worshippers whose devotion, tested by years of suffering, burns brighter than before. “The moment the Church faces persecution, the people become more alive,” the Bishop reflected. “Despite the gunshots, despite the attacks, their faith remains unwavering.”
A Cautious Hope Amid Insecurity
Auxiliary Bishop Bakeni offers a tempered perspective. While Maiduguri enjoys a fragile calm, insecurity still defines much of Nigeria. “We are experiencing a little bit of peace in our diocese,” he said, “but in many parts of Nigeria, it’s unsecure, and we’re sleeping with our eyes open.”
He describes an atmosphere heavy with fear and uncertainty. “Every day, Nigerians are being killed or abducted. This has become our reality. There’s a cloud of anxiety hovering over our country.”
Even so, Bishop Bakeni sees irony—and grace—in the Church’s revival. “Ordinarily, when people are confronted with violence, the church should be less populated. But what we are seeing is the opposite,” he said. “As bad as the persecution is, these are testimonies of faith—faith that has been tested and found alive.”
Rebuilding Lives and Restoring Hope
The diocese acknowledges the vital support of Aid to the Church in Need and its benefactors, whose contributions have funded rebuilding programs, community aid, and spiritual renewal projects like the Whuabazhi Pilgrimage Center. The center now attracts record numbers of pilgrims, many of whom report transformation and healing after their visits.
For Bishop Doeme and Bishop Bakeni, these signs of revival do not merely represent recovery—they symbolize resurrection. The Church in Maiduguri, once buried in fear and ruin, is rising from the ashes through the steadfast faith of its people.
Their story stands as a striking testament to faith under fire and a powerful reminder that, in the darkest corners of the world, light can return—and sometimes burn even brighter.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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