Catholic priests raises alarm over deadly gunmen attacks, closure of 15 Churches
Catholic priests raises alarm over deadly gunmen attacks, closure of 15 Churches
The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, has sounded an urgent alarm over escalating attacks by suspected armed herdsmen in Benue State, reporting the death of over 50 persons and the forced closure of 15 Catholic parishes within one month.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the Chairman of NCDPA in Makurdi, Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba, condemned the killings as part of a deliberate and systematic campaign to annihilate Tiv communities.
He accused the military deployed to the region of either complicity or deliberate inaction.
Fr. Beba revealed that even Catholic priests have been targeted, forcing several parishes in Makurdi Diocese to shut down due to the insecurity.
He cited the case of Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongo of St. John’s Quasi Parish, Jimba, who was shot near a military checkpoint at Tse Orbiam—just before the community itself came under attack.
Other affected communities named include Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, Abegana, and Tse Orbiam—all within Makurdi Diocese.
The priests recounted multiple attacks that left scores of women, children, and even a pregnant woman dead.
“These brutal assaults are not only savage and inhumane but also a direct affront to the dignity of human life,” the priests stated.
They suggested a link between the recent violence and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe’s international advocacy, including testimonies in the United States and Europe about Christian persecution in Nigeria.
They alleged that the violence may be retaliatory, noting that Bishop Anagbe’s hometown of Aondoana was attacked on May 25, prompting clergy and religious sisters to flee for their lives.
A day later, on May 26, suspected terrorists stormed Nagi-Camp, just five kilometers from an army base in Agagbe, without any military response. Yelewata community in Guma LGA was also attacked the following night, with an entire family killed and Rev. Fr. Jonathan Ukuma narrowly escaping death.
The priests expressed deep frustration over the absence of any response from both the federal and Benue State governments, stating that no officials had visited the affected communities or shown support.
In a direct appeal to Governor Hyacinth Alia, the priests urged him to confront what they described as “ethnic cleansing” of the Tiv people and pressed President Bola Tinubu to declare a full-scale war on the armed groups identified as foreign militias by the governor himself.
“To ignore these atrocities or respond weakly is to show complicity. Silence in the face of evil is a second death,” they warned.
They demanded immediate compensation for victims, the safe return of displaced persons, and stronger efforts to secure local communities.
The clergy also called on Nigerian youths to defend their lives, faith, and farmlands lawfully, affirming that self-defense is an inalienable right.
