The largest indigenous Christian denomination in the North-East, Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, said on Thursday that it had lost no fewer than 8,370 members to Boko Haram attacks.

The church, with its headquarter in Adamawa, has a strong missionary foothold in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

The President of the EYN, Rev Joel Billi, whose membership base is said to be two million, said the church had been worst hit by the terrorists.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Billi said apart from the beheading of Lawan Andimi, the chairman the Christian Association of Nigeria in Michika, seven other pastors and over 700,000 members were displaced.

Speaking after the conference of the church held in Yola the Adamawa State capital, the EYN president added that 53 out of the church’s  60 district councils were affected by the terrorists.

He said, “About 53 of the 60 District Church Councils of the EYN were directly affected by the insurgency, with 300 of the church’s 586 branches either burnt or damaged by Boko Haram.

“Uncountable number of houses of our members were either burnt or looted, leaving over 700,000 of those members displaced from their parish.”

The EYN President added that many members had been abducted, and that 217 of the abducted 276 Chibok schoolgirls belonged to the EYN.