Boko Haram Beheading Men, Taking Over Churches

The Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has started taking over churches in parts of Nigeria, beheading men and forcing women to convert to Islam and be taken as wives.

"Things are getting pretty bad," Rev. John Bakeni, with the Maiduguri Roman Catholic diocese in northeastern Nigeria, told Religion News Service. "A good number of our parishes in Pulka and Madagali areas have been overrun in the last few days."

"Many civilians are now on the run," he added. "Many others are being trapped and killed. Life means nothing here. It's so cheap and valueless."

The development comes five months after the terrorist group abducted more than 200 school girls. It has also carried out mass kidnappings in the region.

Last month, the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, announced an Islamic caliphate. Church officials say a thin line divides Boko Haram and the Islamic State.

"The same ideology runs through their methods and disposition," Bakeni said.