In a disturbing escalation of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA) of Makurdi Diocese has announced that 15 Catholic parishes have been forced to shut down within the past month due to ongoing attacks by suspected herdsmen.
Speaking during a press conference on Sunday, Revd. Fr. Joseph Beba, Chairman of the NCDPA in Makurdi, delivered a damning assessment of the security situation, describing the wave of assaults on Tiv communities as a “calculated and coordinated” effort to uproot and eliminate them. He accused the military of inaction — and in some cases, outright complicity.
“Among those affected are Catholic priests, and this has led to the closure of 15 parishes in Makurdi Diocese alone,” Fr. Beba stated. “The silence and passivity of military personnel stationed in these areas are deeply troubling while our communities burn.”
One such example involved Revd. Fr. Solomon Atongo of St. John’s Quasi Parish, Jimba, who was reportedly shot near Tse Orbiam — a mere 500 meters from a military checkpoint — with no response from the soldiers. The community was later attacked, leaving devastation in its wake.
Other affected areas within the Diocese include Ahume, Jimba, Nagi-Camp, Aondoana, Yelewata, and Abegana, where priests say the violence has claimed dozens of lives, including those of women, children, and even a pregnant woman.
“These acts are inhumane, barbaric, and a gross violation of the sanctity and dignity of human life,” the priests declared. They linked the spike in violence to recent international advocacy by Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who has spoken abroad about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
According to the clergy, the attacks appear retaliatory, including a direct assault on Bishop Anagbe’s hometown of Aondoana on May 25. Clergy and religious sisters were reportedly forced to flee into nearby bushes to escape the onslaught.
The following day, terrorists invaded Nagi-Camp — just five kilometers from a Nigerian Army base in Agagbe — again without any military intervention. A night later, the Yelewata community in Guma LGA was attacked, with an entire family massacred and Revd. Fr. Jonathan Ukuma narrowly escaping with his life.
The priests expressed deep frustration with both federal and state authorities, who have yet to visit the affected areas or offer meaningful support. They emphasized a growing sense of abandonment among the faithful and local communities.
“We are not sure whose side the military is on. Their behavior raises serious suspicions of complicity,” Fr. Beba warned, also highlighting the deteriorating safety on key roads such as Naka-Makurdi and Taraku-Naka.
Calling on Governor Hyacinth Alia to take immediate and decisive action, the priests described the attacks as part of an “ethnic cleansing” of the Tiv people. They further urged President Bola Tinubu to declare an all-out military campaign against the foreign terrorist elements allegedly identified by the state governor.
“Failure to act decisively will be seen as indifference or complicity. To be silent is to die twice,” the priests declared.
The NCDPA also demanded urgent government compensation for victims and the return of displaced persons to their ancestral lands. Emphasizing that the protection of lives is a constitutional duty, the clergy called on citizens — especially the youth — to prepare to defend their communities lawfully.
“The right to self-defence is inalienable for all citizens,” the priests concluded, reaffirming their commitment to the gospel and their resolve not to be silenced by terror.
