Catholic Priests Raise Concern As Herdsmen Kill 50, Shut Down 15 Churches In Makurdi
The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, has sounded the alarm over a wave of deadly attacks by suspected armed herdsmen in Benue State, reporting that over 50 lives have been lost and 15 Catholic parishes shut down within a month.
At a press conference held on Sunday, the Chairman of NCDPA in the Makurdi Diocese, Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba, condemned the sustained violence, which he described as a systematic attempt to wipe out Tiv communities. He accused security forces—particularly the military stationed in the region—of inaction and possible complicity.
“Priests have not been spared in these brutal attacks, forcing the closure of 15 parishes within our diocese,” Fr. Beba stated, criticizing what he called the deafening silence of the military while communities are being ravaged.
Among the recent incidents cited was the shooting of Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongo of St. John’s Quasi Parish, Jimba. He was attacked just 500 meters from a military checkpoint at Tse Orbiam, yet no intervention followed. The community was subsequently overrun by armed assailants. Other affected communities include Tse Orbiam, Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, and Abegana—areas all within the Makurdi Diocese. The priests said the victims included women, children, and even a pregnant woman, highlighting the harrowing human cost.
“These are cruel and barbaric acts that defy humanity and desecrate the sanctity of life,” the priests said. They also suggested that the escalation may be linked to recent testimonies by Bishop Wilfred Anagbe in the United States and Europe, where he spoke about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
“The attacks appear to be a direct hit on Bishop Anagbe and the Catholic Church he represents. They are calculated and retaliatory,” the priests said, pointing out that Aondoana—the bishop’s home village—was attacked on May 25, forcing priests and nuns to flee into the forest.
Another attack occurred on May 26 in Nagi-Camp, located just five kilometers from a Nigerian Army base in Agagbe, with no military response reported. The next night, Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area was also attacked, resulting in the massacre of an entire family. Rev. Fr. Jonathan Ukuma narrowly escaped death.
The clergy expressed frustration at the absence of federal and state government support, noting that no official visits or gestures of solidarity have been made to the affected communities or the Church.
“The silence of the military is disturbing. Their actions—or lack thereof—raise serious questions about their allegiance,” they added, citing the worsening security along the Naka-Makurdi and Taraku-Naka roads as evidence of the state’s deteriorating safety.
They called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to take urgent action against what they described as an ongoing “ethnic cleansing” of the Tiv people and urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a full-scale war against the terrorist elements identified by the governor as foreign mercenaries.
“A failure to act will be interpreted as complicity or indifference. Silence in the face of this evil is a death sentence,” they warned.
The priests also demanded immediate government compensation for victims and the return of displaced persons to their ancestral homes, stressing the government’s constitutional responsibility to protect citizens’ lives and dignity.
Reaffirming their faith, the clergy vowed not to be silenced and called on Nigerian youths to defend their faith, farmlands, and communities—peacefully and within the law.
“The right to self-defence is inalienable and must be upheld for every citizen,” they declared.