Persecuted Nigerian Catholics maintain faith in spite of Boko Haram

Gwoza, almost the size of Rhode Island, was on the verge of being captured, and Ibrahim did not want to live under the authority of jihadists who gained notoriety for using women and girls as suicide bombers. Nigeria's long years of maladministration and the high rate of poverty in the northern part of the country-the birthplace of the insurgence - galvanized the sect into taking up arms. The German-based Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need provided a grant of $75,000 for 5,000 widows and 15,000 orphans under the care of the diocese; and Catholic Relief Services provides school uniforms, textbooks and school fees for about 100 Catholic children. Maiduguri martyrs Ibrahim and other survivors who share similar stories of pain, suffering and loss mirror the challenges the Catholic Church in the northeast region of Nigeria is facing. Since Boko Haram launched its first attack in the summer of 2009, the church has been deeply affected.