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Why I built mosque in Adamawa –Catholic Bishop
The Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese in Adamawa State, Bishop Dami Mamza, was recently in the news after unveiling 86 housing units, 12 classrooms and a mosque, among others, that he built for internally displaced persons at Sangere-Marghi village of Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
He recently spoke with BILLY GRAHAM ABEL, and gave reasons for the unusual display of love and generosity.
While regretting the collapsing security situation in the country, Bishop Mamza dismissed calls by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, for government to negotiate with bandits, describing Gumi’s relationship with bandits as suspicious. He also urged the Federal Government to engage the services of mercenaries to help address the country’s security situation.
You recently did something unusual: you built houses, schools and a mosque for Muslim IDPs in Adamawa. Why gave rise to the unusual move?
It started in September 2014, when the first three local governments in northern Adamawa were overrun by Boko Haram insurgents.
I was at the Catholic Bishops conference in Warri when I received a call informing me that Michika, Madagali, Mubi and later on, Gombi, had been overrun by Boko Haram, and that our church was flooded with internally displaced persons. I quickly returned to Yola. But I had instructed the Coordinator of Justice, Development and Peace, Yola Diocese, Rev. Father Morris Kwoiranga, to open the doors of the cathedral in order to accommodate as many people that were in need of shelter and food. We had to close down our schools. We opened up our old cathedral, our pastoral centre and so many institutions that we have within Jimeta to house as many internally displaced persons as possible.
They came in their numbers, looking for shelter and food. I instructed that any money available, even if it belonged to somebody, should be used to provide food for the IDPs. That was how it all began.
At a certain stage, we had about 3,700 IDPs residing within St. Theresa Cathedral. But again, there were people that were living within the town but lacked the capacity to support themselves. Take for example, a person who earns N40,000 only at the end of the month but has about 50 IDPs from his village residing in his house because he is the only person from their village that they know. So, such people were coming in to get food or financial support. Since then, after every two weeks, for about three years, we have been inviting these displaced persons to what became a routine food distribution exercise.
Based on our records, about 7, 500 households were beneficiaries of the food distribution for these three years. Every two weeks, we distribute over 500 bags of maize. We have been doing that faithfully without fail until northern Adamawa was recaptured. Even after that, we continued with the exercise, depending on the needs.
Then we have those in camps. We were responsible for their feeding. We feed them three times a day, provide them with shelter and take care of their medical bills. We had to open a clinic here and requested for some volunteer medical practitioners, doctors and nurses to help in providing some services.
We had groups like the Daughters of Charity, who came all the way from Port Harcourt, and provided medical services. That is what we have been doing in the last seven years working with the IDPs.
When most of the local governments in northern Adamawa were recaptured, most of the IDPs gradually returned to their communities. Those that were left at our camps were those who have their houses at the fringes of the Sambisa Forest and these are communities where the Boko Haram insurgents are still active and the communities are still susceptible to Boko Haram intermittent attacks.
I remember that about 17 of our IDPs that returned were killed in 2015. When some of the IDPs in our camps heard about their deaths, they changed their minds about returning home. The 86 families have been with us since then.
What brought the idea of the housing units?
One night in 2019, I started thinking, how long would we sustain the situation of the IDPs and take care of them? Besides, we were having donors fatigue and the IDPs were on the one hand tired of living at the camps. So, I thought to myself whether it would be possible to build simple houses for them to live in as their own homes. Then I asked myself, where do I get the resources to do this? I had no money, no land, nothing. So, I decided to approach government for a land with the thought in my mind that even if it is a round hut that we would build, it would go a long way in easing their pain. The governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, graciously offered about 10 hectares of land for the resettlement of these IDPs at Sengere, Marghi. After that, I consulted with my main sponsors, Missio, a German-based Catholic organisation, which supports humanitarian causes across the world and in support of the Catholic Church too. They have been the ones supporting our IDPs. About 99 per cent of the feeding of our IDPs has been funded by them. I wrote a proposal and they were so impressed. In January, 2020, the entire management of Missio came to Adamawa State, and they were able to have an interaction with the governor.
I took them to the site in Sangere, Marghi. There was a school there, but none of the classes had roofs, and all the children of the IDPS were in our school, a very good school. I asked them whether it was possible that they support a school project of 12 classrooms. They had already approved funds for the housing units. But then, if we build houses for them, and if their children have no access to school, then we might be raising another set of children that would be illiterates. That was how we started the building of the houses and the school almost at the same time.
About 95 per cent of the IDPs are Christians, with about five per cent Muslims. We also got funds to build a church. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, we could not have money for the mosque building. But we sourced it from our local contributions within the Catholic Diocese of Yola. Because how would the Muslims IDPs feel if they don’t have a place to worship? That was how we built and commissioned the facilities. The school cost roughly about N30 million, we have spent about N107 million on the houses, and about N5 million for the mosque.
Many people, both Christians and Muslims still wonder: why did you build the mosque?
I know building this mosque has generated a lot of comments, some positive, some negative, from both Christians and Muslims, But my message is very simple. We have no option but to live together as brothers and sisters in one family, more importantly as Nigerians.
When I was taking care of the IDPs, I never discriminated. When I built the houses, I never discriminated. When building the schools, I never discriminated. So why should I now discriminate based on worship centres? To me, it is a matter of justice. I have built a church for one group, I should also build a mosque for the other group. I believe that would go a long way in strengthening the bond of unity in the housing units and it would also serve as a lesson to other religious leaders in the country that religion is a matter of choice. That, if, for instance, one decides to convert to another religion, no one should threaten, intimidate or terrorise you.
I believe we serve the same God, and when they all go in to pray, they would pray for Nigeria and for me, irrespective of their places of worship. There are people who felt that I should not have done that as a Catholic priest, but it is my choice and decision. The problem in our country is that, we use religion as the basis to determine relationships, association, etc. In as much as, conversion from one religion into another is not respected, we would continue to have problems.
It only means that there is no freedom of worship and Nigeria is still a secular state. Let’s put Nigeria first and live together in peace and unity.
How would you advise the government to address the security crisis in the North-East and other regions?
The security situation in the country has gone very bad and is getting worse on a daily basis. In fact, the North-East and places like Adamawa State have been more peaceful than places in the North-West. Our government needs to rise to its own responsibility and do the right thing.
Unfortunately, our politicians are more concerned about 2023 polls than the security situation of the country. If our politicians do not put security issues first before their ambition for 2023, I wonder whether if Nigeria does not exist, who are they going to rule over? There is an urgent need for government at all levels to take the issue of security very seriously. Now in Nigeria, everyone is afraid and no one can sleep with their eyes closed. Our government needs to do more than it is doing right now.
The military also need to do better. I think something is wrong somewhere with the way security issues are handled. They are always complaining about lack of equipment, but the annual budget for defence speaks to the contrary because it is always huge. So something is wrong.
The North-East Development Commission should be embarking on projects like the one we just did, but we don’t know what they do at all. They are just there in Abuja doing nothing. As a matter of fact, why is the headquarters of the commission not here in the North-East but there in Abuja? But the bottom line is that, we are not feeling their impact. I can’t see anything being done by them. There are many international bodies and groups working here and we are feeling their impact.
Sheikh Gumi wants government to negotiate with armed bandits, and some Nigerians have supported the suggestion. What is your take?
There is no sincerity in Sheikh Abubakar Gumi’s position or what he is suggesting as a solution.
Nobody knows the heart of Gumi or why he is doing what he is doing. What he is suggesting will take us nowhere. There is definitely a link between Sheikh Gumi and the bandits. What is the link? How did he get into contact with them? This is the question that should be investigated and answered.
He is not the only Sheikh in Nigeria or Islamic cleric, yet he has taken so much interest in the cause of the bandits and going about offering explanations to justify the actions of the bandits. I don’t see any sincerity in the actions of Gumi and I’m very suspicious of the role he is playing. Only God knows what he is doing. In the first place, he has not condemned what they are doing. He’s only blaming the government for not giving them this or that. No matter how irresponsible a government is, no one has the right to go about taking other people’s lives and you cannot come our as a religious person to support the actions of the people who go about taking lives.
You cannot support someone going into banditry, killing, maiming, abducting and traumatising people and you as a religious leader would stand to rationalise and explain their actions. Are they the only people without jobs in Nigeria? Are they the only people with grievances against the government and against what is happening in the country? I have a problem with what Gumi is doing. Many Nigerians have a problem with it.
If you don’t agree with Gumi’s methods, what alternatives would you proffer?
I would advise the Nigerian government to hire mercenaries. We have reached a point where our government should say we can no longer handle this problem alone and we should be sincere and with all sense of humility to it. The governor of Borno State, Prof Zulum said we should look for mercenaries, because even our military that are fighting this war, there is no sincerity in them. We cannot say that they are not trying, but it is obvious that there are issues.
I have a relation, a soldier, who was wounded by Boko Haram insurgents some few weeks ago. He was abandoned and had to be treated by the family. So, we don’t know what is happening here in our country.
Residents and businesses in several parts of Enugu State were plunged into darkness on Friday evening following an explosion at the Gariki Injection Substation.
MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited (MEDL) confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its Head of Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh.
According to the company, the explosion occurred at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2026, and damaged the indoor 11kV breaker at the Gariki Injection Substation, resulting in a power outage across multiple communities served by the Army and Gariki 11kV feeders.
The affected areas under the Army 11kV feeder include Army Barracks, One Day Road, Meniru, Upper Meniru and Joe Continental.
Communities affected under the Gariki 11kV feeder include Gariki Market, Mayor Market, Roban Stores along Agbani Road, Crunchies on Agbani Road, Mobile Police Barracks, Amechi Road, Upper Mount, Ikiriki, Emeka Ebila, Ozalla Street, Egbonnaji, Nnaji Ogbodo, Idaw River, Igbariam Street, Liberation, Mount, Umuchu, Achina, Vance, Unubi, Enugu Agidi, Amawbia, Amokwe, Kenneth, Amah and Hill Crest.
MEDL said its technical team has commenced a comprehensive assessment of the damage and is working to restore electricity supply to the affected areas as quickly as possible.
The company apologised for the disruption and appealed to customers for patience and understanding while repair work continues.
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Habila Family Lawyer: Umahi Repeatedly Requested Autopsy, Family Declined; Petitions IGP Over Delay in Releasing Body (Video)
The lawyer to the family of late nurse Mary Habila, Barrister Yusuf, has disclosed that Minister of Works David Umahi repeatedly requested that an autopsy be conducted to determine the cause of her death, but the family consistently declined the request, citing personal, cultural, and traditional reasons.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, Yusuf said the family had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over the continued refusal of the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to release Habila’s body for burial.
According to him, Mary Habila, who died on June 27, 2026, was a registered nurse employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, before she was seconded to the Minister of Works’ office, where she had worked for about three years.
He dismissed claims circulating on social media about her profession and character, insisting that Habila was a civil servant with employment records and payslips to support the family’s position.
“It is imperative to state that late Mary Habila was not a physiotherapist. She was a nurse and a civil servant who worked in the minister’s office after being seconded from the university,” Yusuf said.
The lawyer alleged that despite the family’s compliance with police procedures to retrieve the body for burial, it has remained in custody without any explanation from the Ebonyi State Police Command.
He further accused unnamed individuals of attempting to politicise Habila’s death.
“From all indications, some people want to use her death as a pawn in their political manoeuvring just to score cheap political points,” he said.
Yusuf also confirmed that Umahi had, on several occasions, requested that an autopsy be carried out.
“The minister has repeatedly called for an autopsy, but the family has consistently rejected it because of personal, cultural and traditional reasons,” he stated.
He also rejected allegations questioning Habila’s character, describing them as false and defamatory.
“Mary Habila was never a ‘runs girl’ or anything of that nature. She was in Abuja working with the minister in her official capacity,” he added.
Yusuf said the family, accompanied by Habila’s parents, relatives and one of her colleagues, visited the office of the Inspector-General of Police to formally submit their petition seeking the immediate release of her remains.
He expressed hope that the IGP would intervene and direct the Ebonyi State Police Command to release the body so the family could give her a befitting burial.
The petition comes amid growing public interest and controversy surrounding the circumstances of Habila’s death, with the family insisting that their immediate concern is recovering her body for burial.
See Video:
Mary Habila’s Family Petitions IGP over CP’s Refusal to Release Corpse for Burial
The family of late Mary Habila has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over the alleged refusal of the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to release her body for burial more than two weeks after her death.
In a petition dated July 17, 2026, and submitted through their solicitors, K.A. Yusuf & Associates, the family accused the Ebonyi State Police Command of unlawfully withholding Habila’s remains despite their compliance with all legal requirements for its release.
The petition, addressed to the IGP at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, stated that Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, under circumstances that were reported to the police. Since then, the body has remained in a designated mortuary under the authority of the Ebonyi State Police Command.
According to the family’s lawyers, repeated applications, personal visits and full compliance with every lawful requirement communicated by the police have failed to secure the release of the corpse for burial.
The petition described the continued detention of the body as arbitrary and oppressive, arguing that it has denied the family the opportunity to perform customary and religious burial rites while inflicting emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship.
“It is our client’s respectful position that the continued detention of his daughter’s corpse without lawful justification is arbitrary, oppressive, and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity,” the petition stated.
The family further expressed a loss of confidence in the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, urging the IGP to intervene.
Specifically, the petition requested the IGP to transfer the case from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, direct the immediate release of Mary Habila’s body for burial, order disciplinary or administrative action against any officer found to have acted unlawfully, and issue any further directives necessary to ensure justice is served.
The lawyers also urged the police authorities to communicate the legal basis for withholding the body and provide a timeline for concluding investigations instead of keeping the remains indefinitely.
The petition follows growing public attention surrounding Habila’s death, with her family insisting on the release of her remains.
The family had earlier said they suspect no foul play in her death and preferred an end to police investigations.
News
NWOBODO VS OGBUANU: Drama in Enugu High Court as Former Governor Substitutes Legal Team, Halts Proceedings
ENUGU, NIGERIA — A high-stakes legal battle involving the former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Senator Jim Nwobodo, his wife, and a prominent Enugu medical practitioner, Dr. Basil Kenechukwu Ogbuanu, was unexpectedly stalled at the Enugu State High Court following a dramatic, last-minute change in the defendants’ legal representation.
The abrupt shake-up in the defense lineup forced a halt to the scheduled proceedings, preventing the court from hearing key applications in the multi-party land and property dispute.
The presiding judge, Justice C.C. Ani, was forced to adjourn the matter on Thursday to October 22, 2026, to allow the plaintiff’s legal team sufficient time to study a wave of newly substituted court processes filed by the defendants’ new counsel.
The legal battle, registered under Suit No. E/328/2026, pits Dr. Ogbuanu against Chief Senator Jim Nwobodo, his wife, Barrister (Mrs) Patricia Nwobodo, and seven other corporate and individual defendants.
The co-defendants in the sprawling suit include Linkana Hotels Limited, Mr. Gerald Asogwa, Kingsley U. Chime, Surveyor G.C. Ishiwu, Millennium Construction & Estate Developers Limited, Hon. Titus Okechi, and Moss Island Limited.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, the court was officially notified that the Nwobodos and their co-defendants had formally debriefed their former legal representative, the distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Iyom A.J. Offiah of Obra Legal.
In her place, the defendants briefed Chief C. Chuma Oguejiofor, Esq., of Chuma Oguejiofor & Co. (House of Law), based on Carter Street, Ogui Road, Enugu, to take over their defense.
Upon taking charge of the defense, Chief Oguejiofor immediately moved to withdraw all legal processes previously filed on behalf of the defendants by their former counsel on July 6, 2026.
The defense then substituted those withdrawn documents with a brand-new set of applications, affidavits, and objections, which were formally filed in the court’s registry on July 16, 2026.
Dr. Ogbuanu’s lead counsel, Onyechi Araka, did not oppose the sudden withdrawal and subsequent replacement of the defense’s processes, recognizing the defendants’ constitutional right to choice of counsel.
Araka, however, strongly urged the court for an adjournment, stating that his team required adequate time to meticulously study and analyze the newly filed processes, which they intend to vigorously contest.
Recognizing the fundamental principles of fair hearing and the plaintiff’s right of reply, Justice Ani granted the application for adjournment, scheduling October 22, 2026, for the hearing of all pending applications.
Among the new filings introduced by the Oguejiofor-led defense team is a crucial Notice of Preliminary Objection aiming to terminate the plaintiff’s lawsuit at its foundational stage.
The objection, brought pursuant to Section 86(6) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and various provisions of the High Court Rules of Enugu State 2020, prays the court to set aside the service of the originating processes on the defendants.
Alternatively, the defendants are asking the court to strike out or dismiss the entire suit in limine (at the threshold), arguing that it is entirely incompetent and constitutes a gross abuse of the judicial process.
In the grounds listed for the application, the defense contends that the originating and other vital processes in the suit were never properly served on the defendants.
The defense further launched a scathing critique of the lawsuit’s drafting, describing the plaintiff’s pleadings as “unnecessarily verbose, circumlocutory, imprecise, windy, and mostly lacking in meaning.”
Crucially, the defendants argue that Dr. Ogbuanu’s lawsuit is a direct and abusive replication of an active, pre-existing lawsuit.
According to court documents, a prior lawsuit, Suit No. E/244/2025, between Dr. (Mrs) Patricia Nwobodo & Anor vs. Dr. Basil Ogbuanu, was filed on March 1, 2026, long before the present suit was instituted, involving the same parties and subject matter.
The defense also raised a structural jurisdictional issue, asserting that the police and other public officers whose presence is imperative for a comprehensive and final determination of the dispute were not joined as parties.
Furthermore, they argue that the suit is legally barred by Section 9(1) of the Actions Law, Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004, and that requisite pre-action notices were never served on the public officers involved.
In a supporting affidavit sworn to at the High Court Registry, Chidinma Edeh, a litigation clerk at Chuma Oguejiofor & Co., averred that she had the explicit consent of the defendants to depose to the facts of the change of counsel and the preliminary objection.
As both legal teams retreat to their chambers to draft their respective responses, members of the Enugu legal community and public observers are keeping a close watch on the High Court ahead of the high-stakes showdown on October 22.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has spoken publicly for the first time on the death of 26-year-old nurse, Mary Habila, describing her as “like a daughter” and dismissing attempts to link him to the incident as politically motivated.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Umahi said Habila had worked closely with him for about three years and was one of his most trusted staff members. He maintained that there was no evidence of foul play and urged Nigerians to allow security agencies to complete their investigation.
The minister clarified that the deceased was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, and not a physiotherapist as previously reported.
According to Umahi, Habila had a history of medical challenges and had been receiving treatment at a Turkish hospital, with her medical expenses fully covered by him.
He revealed that shortly before her death, Habila reportedly informed her boyfriend during a telephone conversation that she was experiencing a nosebleed. The boyfriend allegedly advised her to seek medical attention, but communication ceased after she said she was going to take a bath.
Umahi explained that after repeated calls to her phone went unanswered, concerned colleagues forced open her room and found her lifeless, while the bathroom tap was still running.
The minister emphasized that the guest house where the incident occurred was designated for staff and medical personnel and was located some distance from his private residence, insisting that attempts to personally implicate him were unfair and unfounded.
Describing Habila as a hardworking and dedicated employee, Umahi said her death had deeply affected him.
He appealed to the deceased’s family to consent to a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, disclosing that he had directed that her body should not be released for burial until the examination is conducted.
According to him, the autopsy has been delayed because the family objected on cultural grounds.
Umahi also disclosed that he requested the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja to ensure a more comprehensive and transparent probe, while facilitating discussions with the bereaved family.
He further stated that Habila had experienced similar episodes of nosebleeding during previous official trips and urged investigators to examine the telephone records between the deceased and her boyfriend, saying they could provide valuable insight into her final moments.
While reiterating that investigations should proceed without interference, the minister said the preliminary information available to him did not suggest any criminal activity.
He also condemned the circulation of photographs allegedly taken at the mortuary, accusing some individuals of exploiting the tragedy to spread misinformation and tarnish reputations.
Umahi warned that his legal team would take action against individuals and media organisations found to have published or circulated false or defamatory information regarding the case.
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