No fewer than 15 parishes under the Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Benue State have been shut down due to repeated attacks

No fewer than 15 parishes under the Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Benue State have been shut down due to repeated attacks on host communities by suspected armed herders.

The disclosure was made on Sunday by Rev. Fr Joseph Beba, Chairman of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, NCDPA, Makurdi Diocese, during a press briefing at the Catholic Cathedral in Makurdi.

Fr Beba said the affected communities, Tse Orbiam, Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, and Abegana, have witnessed coordinated violence in the past two weeks, resulting in the deaths of over 50 residents, including 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 said.

He alleged that the escalation in violence, particularly in Gwer West Local Government Area, followed the testimony of the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, in the United States and Europe on the persecution of Christians in Benue and Nigeria.

“These attacks are not random. They are a direct response to Bishop Anagbe’s international testimony on the systematic persecution of Christians. The Church is under siege,” Fr Beba declared.