By Obinna Uballa
Catholic priests in Benue State say armed herdsmen have seized 26 Catholic parishes and outstations in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, following a reported violent destruction of St. Paul’s Parish, Aye-Twar, on August 11.
The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association (NCDPA), Katsina-Ala Diocese, said the attackers razed the parish house, looted property, burnt vehicles, and left the entire community deserted.
The parish priest has since abandoned the parish, with all pastoral activities suspended, they alleged.
“This was not a random attack,” said Rev. Fr. Samuel Fila, chairman of the association. “It was a premeditated, coordinated effort aimed at genocidal cleansing and territorial domination.”
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed Aye-Twar in broad daylight, opening fire on residents before targeting the church premises.
According to the priests, “by the time they retreated, the parish secretariat, pastoral house and other facilities had been reduced to rubble.”
Furthermore, the priests said the invaders had long occupied the parish’s 26 outstations before the latest attack. With Aye-Twar itself now destroyed, they said, the entire parish has effectively fallen into the hands of armed herdsmen.
“The continuous assaults on Christian communities, albeit unprovoked, and the unchecked violence of these terrorist herdsmen have become a grave wound to our national conscience,” Fr. Fila said.
The priests lamented that the silence of government and the slow response of security agencies amounted to complicity. They noted that the attackers often cross into Benue from neighbouring Taraba State to carry out raids, only to retreat afterwards without challenge.
“The government must demonstrate sincerity in dealing with this menace that is speedily dragging our nation down the drain,” the statement read. “Security of lives and property must not be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness or passing ambitions.”
They accused both federal and state authorities of treating the killings and destruction in Sankera and other parts of Benue as routine, warning that continued inaction could encourage further escalation.
The association listed a series of demands to both government and security agencies, including: Immediate restitution for the destruction of St. Paul’s Parish and its facilities, a joint investigation into the attacks and arrest of masterminds, permanent security posts in Aye-Twar and surrounding communities and rehabilitation of key access roads linking Gbishe, Tor-Donga, Zaki-Biam, Sankera, Chito and Vaase to enable swift military response.
They also called on the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to rein in on violent herders, warning that failure to do so would deepen the impression of organised ethnic cleansing.
Beyond local authorities, the priests appealed to the international community to pay attention to what they described as “recurrent acts of religious persecution” in Nigeria.
They reaffirmed loyalty to the Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese, Most Rev. Isaac Dugu, praising his efforts to foster peace in the Sankera axis. They also pledged support to displaced parishioners who have been forced into neighbouring communities and IDP camps.
“We cannot keep silent while our people are massacred and our churches desecrated,” the priests declared. “The blood of innocent worshippers cries out for justice.”
Recall that the attack on St. Paul’s Parish marks one of the most cases of assault on Christian communities in Benue in recent years, coming amid repeated clashes between farmers and herders across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
