Over 900 churches in Nigeria destroyed by Boko Haram, says CAN

The youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has claimed that over 900 churches have been destroyed by the terror group Boko Haram since its emergence in the northern part of the country.

Following a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Gusau, Zamfara State, youth wing Chairman Evangelist Musa Misal said that the demolished churches were spread out across Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno and others.

The organization urged the government to rebuild the destroyed churches and re-establish the Nigeria Inter Religion Council (NIREC) in order to curb the religious violence occurring in the country, The Daily Post reported.

CAN further noted that the "carnage is no longer accidental" and that there are "continued attacks on Christians in Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and Taraba communities."

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has warned on Tuesday that Boko Haram is now focusing its resources in carrying out a propaganda war against the nation.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, issued a statement urging Nigerians and the media to unite against terrorism by depriving the terror group of platforms in which it could propagate its ideology.

Mohammed said that Boko Haram had "shifted its strategy toward dominating the media space, propagating a perverted version of Shariah law and giving the impression that it is still holding territory."

He disclosed that the propaganda strategy was discovered from the materials left by the terror group after they were driven out of their stronghold in Sambisa. He noted that the materials revealed how Boko Haram members received training on video recording and manipulation from other terrorist groups.

"The documents, written in Arabic, also outlined the media strategy that Boko Haram Commanders should employ and how the surviving members should ensure the propagation of the Boko Haram doctrine using the Social Media," said Mohammed, according to Vanguard.

In December 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that Boko Haram was "technically defeated." After 12 months, he said that government troops had expelled them from their final enclave.

Additionally, Major General Lucky Irabor, who heads the Nigerian counter-insurgency operation, recently told reporters that Boko Haram was "in disarray and ... desperate."

However, the repeated attacks that occurred in Nigeria as well as in neighboring Niger and Cameroon last January had raised questions about the extent of the government's claim of success.