No fewer than 15 Catholic parishes under the Makurdi Diocese in Benue State have been forced to shut down following a series of brutal attacks on their host communities by suspected armed herders.
The alarming development was disclosed on Sunday by Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba, Chairman of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, during a press briefing held at the Catholic Cathedral in Makurdi.
Fr. Beba said the targeted communities — including Tse Orbiam, Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, and Abegana — have witnessed sustained violence over the past two weeks, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 people, many of them women and children.
“More than 15 parishes have been shut down because their host communities have been completely displaced. In places like Jimba, Mbalom Yelwata, and Aondoana, both priests and parishioners have fled,” he stated.
The cleric further alleged that the wave of violence, particularly in Gwer West Local Government Area, appears to be a coordinated retaliation following recent international advocacy by the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe.
“These attacks are not random. They are a direct response to Bishop Anagbe’s testimony before international audiences in the U.S. and Europe, where he spoke on the persecution of Christians in Benue and Nigeria. The Church is under siege,” Fr. Beba declared.
He expressed dismay at the perceived inaction of security agencies, citing an attack on Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongo on May 24, 2025, which occurred just 3 kilometers from Naka and within 500 meters of an army checkpoint at Tse Orbiam.
“There was no intervention from the military despite the proximity,” Fr. Beba lamented. “We are disheartened by the slow response and low energy from the security forces, even as our people are being slaughtered.”
Calling for urgent government intervention, Fr. Beba urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia to declare open war on the armed herders. He referenced Governor Alia’s previous remarks identifying many of the attackers as foreign nationals.
He also called on local youths to rise in defense of their communities: “The right to self-defence is inalienable. We call on our young people to be ready to defend their faith, their farmlands, and their way of life.”
The Makurdi Diocese, known for its large Catholic population and longstanding missionary presence, is now grappling with one of its most severe crises in recent memory, as faith and survival become intertwined in the face of continued insecurity.
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