The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, has cried out over what it described as coordinated and deadly attacks by armed herdsmen in Benue State, which have claimed over 50 lives and forced the closure of 15 Catholic parishes in the last month.
Speaking during a press conference in Makurdi on Sunday, the Chairman of the association, Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba, described the attacks as “calculated ethnic cleansing” targeted at Tiv communities and the Catholic Church.
Fr. Beba alleged that despite the proximity of some of the attacks to military checkpoints, there had been no meaningful response from security operatives, particularly the military, whom he accused of complicity and inaction.
“Among those affected are Catholic priests, and this has led to the closure of 15 parishes in Makurdi Diocese alone,” he said.
“The military is watching while our communities are razed. Their silence is deafening and suspicious.”
He cited the shooting of Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongo of St. John’s Quasi Parish, Jimba, who was attacked just 500 metres from a military post at Tse Orbiam, as an example of the alleged neglect by security agents. Fr. Atongo survived, but the community was subsequently invaded.
Other communities affected include Ahume, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, and Abegana.
The priests said the attacks have led to the deaths of women, children, and even a pregnant woman, describing the incidents as “barbaric and inhumane.”
The clerics further linked the rising wave of violence to recent international testimonies by the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, who has been vocal about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
They claimed that the bishop’s home village, Aondoana, was attacked on May 25, forcing nuns and priests to flee into the bush.
“The attacks are not random. They are targeted and appear to be a form of retaliation against Bishop Anagbe’s truth-telling abroad,” Fr. Beba said.
They also detailed another attack on Nagi-Camp, which occurred just five kilometres from an army base in Agagbe, with no military intervention. A day later, terrorists stormed Yelewata in Guma LGA, killing an entire family. Rev. Fr. Jonathan Ukuma narrowly escaped being killed in the attack.
The priests lamented what they described as abandonment by both the federal and state governments, stating that no official had visited the affected areas or offered any assistance to victims.
“We are not sure whose side the military is on,” they said. “The Naka-Makurdi and Taraku-Naka roads have become death traps. Security has collapsed.”
They issued a direct appeal to Governor Hyacinth Alia to take immediate and decisive steps against what they termed the “ethnic cleansing” of Tiv people.
They also called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a full-scale war on the perpetrators, whom Governor Alia had identified as foreign mercenaries.
“Failure to act decisively will be interpreted as complicity. Silence is complicity. To be silent is to die twice,” the priests warned.
The group demanded immediate government compensation for victims and a plan for the safe return of displaced persons to their ancestral homes.
Reaffirming their commitment to preaching the gospel, the priests said they would not be intimidated into silence, urging Nigerian youths to defend their faith, farmlands, and communities within the bounds of the law.
“The right to self-defence is inalienable. We will not fold our arms while our people are wiped out,” they concluded.
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