A PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NIGERIAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN PRIESTS ASSOCIATION (NCDPA), MAKURDI DIOCESE, AFTER THEIR GENERAL MEETING HELD ON 27TH MAY, 2025, AT DIVINE MERCY QUASI PARISH, HOWE.
We, the members of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, gathered for our usual general meeting on Tuesday, 27th May 2025, at Divine Mercy Quasi Parish, Howe. After prayerful deliberations and fraternal discussions hereby:
1. Strongly condemn the recent gruesome attacks on our brothers and sisters, including *Revd Fr. Solomon Atongo*, the priest in charge of St John’s Quasi Parish Jimba, as well as the coordinated violence unleashed on the communities of Tse Orbiam, Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata and Abegana which have left over 50 people dead, including women and children. These acts are inhumane, barbaric, and a gross violation of the sanctity and dignity of human life.
2. We therefore call on our brother the governor of Benue State *Revd Fr Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia* to use the overwhelming mandate he received from the masses and stop the ethnic cleansing of Tiv people by these terrorists’ herdsmen. Failure to be decisive in coordinating and directly confronting these terrorists and their masterminders to bring to an end the persistent bloodshed and injustice on his weak and defenseless masses in the villages, would be seen as indifference or insensitivity and “to be silent is to die twice.” His victory is our victory, and his failure is our failure; that is why we make bold to advice.
3. We urgently call on President *Bola Ahmed Tinubu* to declare total war against the terrorists, who governor Hyacinth Alia has earlier identified as non-Nigerians, but have besieged Benue and Nigeria, and continues to undermine the country’s integrity.
4. We have observed with dismay the low energy displayed by our Nigerian army stationed at some of these affected areas. We also regret to say that their inability to stop the attacks or go after the terrorists, betrays professionalism, and this speaks complicity.
5. The attack and shooting of *Revd Fr. Solomon Atongo* on the 24th May 2025 took place 3 Kilometers away from Naka, and less than 500meters away from the army check point at Tse Orbiam, and another one later, on the community itself without any help or intervention from the army despite several cries for help from the villagers.
6. These attacks are a direct attack on *Bishop Anagbe* and the Catholic Church he represents. We believe they were coordinated in response to the bishop’s testimony in the US and Europe on the systematic persecution of Christians in Benue and Nigeria. This is a proof beyond doubts. *Ahume* and *Jimba communities* were attacked the following day, 25th May. Later in the evening, *Aondoana village,* the hometown of the *Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Most Revd Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe cmf* was also invaded. The priest in charge of the mission at Aondoana, *Revd Fr. Peter Shima, VC and the Claretian Sisters* had to run into the bush for safety; they are yet to recover from the trauma! Many people, including a *two-year-old* and *a pregnant woman*, were gruesomely murdered.
7. The attacks continued on 26th May at *Nagi-Camp*, just five kilometers from a *Nigerian Army* base in Agagbe. This time too, there was no response from the army. All of these are in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.
8. Late in the night of 26th May, another devastating attack was unleashed on *Yelewata community* of Guma Local Government area of Benue State by these same Fulani herders, resulting in the *death of three members of one family* and several others injured and displaced, including the priest in charge of the Mission in the area, *Revd Fr. Jonathan Ukuma*; bringing the total to three in a roll of Catholic Priests in Makurdi Diocese who had to escape assassination attempts by these Fulani herdsmen terrorists in just three days, apart from the displacement of *Ayar-Mbalom community* of Gwer East Local Government on the 29th April, 2025 which saw the priest in charge *Revd Fr. Felix Nyinya* running for his life. In all of these, there has not been any decisive intervention.
9. To tell you how bad it is, the Naka-Makurdi Road is practically no longer passable, as declared by the Gwer West Local Government chairman; and from Taraku to Naka is not safe either. As we speak, the people of Gwer West Local Government Area are dangerously encamped in Naka. Even with the presence of the army in Naka, the vulnerable people are not free, we are not exactly sure of what their mission is, and on whose side, they really are, given the antecedents above.
10. Despite the scale of violence, deaths and displacement of people from their ancestral homes by these terrorists, no arrests have been made, the governor and the government have not visited to offer hope, consolation and show concern and solidarity; not even the Catholic Bishop whose village and priests were attacked and shot by these Marauders has been visited.
This attitude raises grave suspicious concerns about complicity and abandonment.
We therefore have the following resolutions and demands:
1. We urge the Nigerian security agencies, especially the military, to be consciously and deliberately professional and patriotic in the discharge of their duties across Nigeria. The same level of efficiency, swiftness and vigilance the army often display during general elections must be applied to protecting lives and communities in Benue and across Nigeria.
2. The government must be responsible and accountable, and must respond by ACTION and not only by mere press statements in the comfort of their conference rooms and offices.
3. We remind both the Federal and State Governments of their constitutional mandate to safeguard the lives and dignity of all citizens. This is a sacred duty they swore to, and this must be pursued with urgency, sincerity, and transparency. We request immediate compensation to victims of this violence and the return of those displaced to their ancestral homes.
4. We are firmly committed to the truths of the gospel and shall do everything possible and necessary within the ambit of the law to resist any form of intimidation and threats to silence those speaking truth to power. We call of the youth to be prepared to defend their faith, their farmlands and their way of life. The right to self defence is an inalienable one for all citizens.
The church of Makurdi Diocese has always provided material and humanitarian assistance to victims of these attacks, but the Church has not been appreciated enough. We remind the state and federal governments of their responsibility to provide water, housing, education and freedom of worship and security against all evil men and women.
In these trying times however, we entrust our people and land to the mercy of God while calling on all faithful to remain steadfast in prayer, courageous in truth, and unwavering in hope.
Thank you.
Revd Fr. Joseph Terfa BEBA,
Chairman, NCDPA Makurdi Diocese.
Revd Fr. Bartholomew ISHOKUA,
Secretary, NCDPA Makurdi Diocese.
This day, 1st June, 2025 on world’s Communications day
