Photo: In the past 18 months, distributions of food and supplies have supported many thousands of displaced people living through the crisis in Nigeria. Photo by Karen Hodges/Church of the Brethren. 

Five members of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) were killed in a recent Boko Haram attack in Adamawa State. Reporting the incident happened in a no-network area of Adamawa State, EYN district church secretary Mildlu Rev. Bitrus Kabu said Wakara Village was attacked from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, June 8.

He said five men were killed by the attackers, and the attack came as a surprise because they have experienced relative peace for some months in the area.

“We buried all,” Kabu said.

The attackers went away with some food items, motorcycles, and other things, leaving the village unoccupied as people fled for their lives to other places for refuge.

With a vibrant history of more than 90 years, EYN has placed a high emphasis on education, health, and agriculture. Today EYN is being ravaged by attacks from the militant group Boko Haram.

Before the destruction by insurgents, EYN had nearly a million people attending services and has carried out mission efforts in neighboring countries. The church’s ministries include its peace witness, aid to those affected by the crisis, leadership development, Women’s Fellowship (ZME), and youth programs. EYN is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Association of Nigeria.

In the last several years, nearly 70 percent of the EYN church buildings were lost (1,668 churches burned or abandoned), the EYN headquarters were overrun, more than 11,000 EYN members have been killed, thousands have been kidnapped including the Chibok girls, and hundreds of thousands are still displaced. Even with improved security in the second half of 2015, millions of both Christian and Muslim families are impacted and terrorized by this crisis.

Read more about the EYN and ongoing relief efforts at the Church of the Brethren website.