The Benue State chapter of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association, NCDPA, has decried the federal and Benue State governments’ inability to protect the lives and property of the citizenry in the wake of terrorist invasions in the state.

It acknowledged the death toll of over 50 people in what it described as coordinated attacks on Benue communities.

This was stated on Sunday during a news conference addressed by the chairman, Rev. Fr Joseph Terfa Beba, in Makurdi.

He condemned the recent gruesome attacks on Sisters, including Rev 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 many dead, including women and children.

According to him, “These acts are inhumane, barbaric, and a gross violation of the sanctity and dignity of human life. 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.”

He said failure to be decisive in coordinating and directly confronting these terrorists and their masterminds, to bring an end to 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.

Fr Beba said the association, which rose from their meeting at the Pastoral Centre, Makurdi, noted that Governor Alia’s victory is their victory. His failure is their failure—explaining why the priests boldly advise him.

“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 continue to undermine the country’s integrity.

“The association has observed with dismay the low energy displayed by the Nigerian Army stationed at some of these affected areas, regretting their inability to stop the attacks or go after the terrorists, which betrays professionalism, which speaks of complicity.

“The attack and shooting of Rev Fr. Solomon Atongo on the 24th May 2025 took place three kilometers away from Naka, and less than 500 meters away from the army checkpoint 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.

“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 United States and Europe on the systematic persecution of Christians in Benue and Nigeria. This is proof beyond doubt,” he said.

He listed that Ahume and Jimba communities were attacked the following day, 25th May, and later in the evening, Aondoana village, the hometown of the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Most Revd Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, was also invaded. The priest in charge of the Mission at Aondoana, Revd Fr Peter Shima, and the Claretian Sisters had to run into the bush for safety and are yet to recover from the trauma.

“Many people, including a two-year-old and a pregnant woman, were gruesomely murdered. 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 the Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

“Attack on Yelewata community of Guma Local Government area by the 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, Revd Fr. Jonathan Ukuma, bringing to three in a roll of Catholic priests in Makurdi Diocese who had to escape assassination attempts in just three days,” he said.

According to him, this is apart from the displacement of the Ayar-Mbalom community of Gwer East Local Government on 29th April 2025, which saw the priest in charge, Revd Fr Felix Nyinya, running for his life without any decisive intervention.

“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.

“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,” Fr Beba noted.

NCDPA, therefore, urged 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 displays during general elections must be applied to protecting lives and communities in Benue and across Nigeria.

It equally called on the governments to be responsible and accountable and to respond by action and not merely with press statements issued from the comfort of their conference rooms and offices.

The group also requested immediate compensation for victims of the violence and the return of those displaced to their ancestral homes, saying it is 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 on the youth to be prepared to defend their faith, their farmlands, and their way of life. The right to self-defense is an inalienable right 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,” he said.

The priests noted that, in these trying times, they entrust the 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.