Catholic Parishes in Benue Bear Brunt of Attacks
By Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani
(Makurdi) Whereas Nigeria’s military has battered radicalized bandit-terrorist camps in Nigeria’s Northwest for a year, the Northcentral State of Benue State remains embroiled in a dire sectarian crisis, according to sources interviewed by TruthNigeria.
According to a disturbing report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), Fulani militias have killed approximately 50,000 people in Nigeria over the past four years. In Benue State alone, the numbers are staggering: 2,673 Christians were killed from 2019 to 2023, while only 12 Muslims lost their lives. These alarming statistics underscore the sectarian nature of the violence and prompt urgent questions about the Nigerian government’s response to the crisis. The International Committee on Nigeria has called the phenomenon a Christian Genocide.
Dede Laugesen, Executive Director of Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC), expressed concern over alarming data from ORFA regarding sectarian violence in Benue, Nigeria.
“The numbers reported by ORFA are appalling,” Laugesen said. “The violence experienced in Benue is religious-based and not caused by community clashes or climate change. It is well past time for the international community to acknowledge the root cause of attacks in Benue is jihad against Christians, and in particular, Catholic Christians.”
Laugesen emphasized that recognizing the true nature of the violence is crucial to preventing further violence and Nigeria’s potential descent into civil war.
Save the Persecuted Christians continues to advocate for Nigeria to be designated as a country of particular concern and subject to sanctions, Laugesen said.
“The people of Benue demand justice and protection from the state of Nigeria,” she added. “If the false narrative of farmer-herder violence, bought and paid for by the Nigerian government’s lobbyists, continues to be amplified by the U.S. Department of State and others in the international community, the violence will increase, thousands more will die, and Nigeria will devolve into civil war.” Laugesen tells Truthnigeria
The Hard-Hit Areas
The Catholic Diocese of Otukpo has been particularly hard hit, with areas such as Apa, Agatu, Otukpo, Obi, and Oju Local Government Areas bearing the brunt of the attacks.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ejeh, Coordinator of the Justice Development and Caritas Foundation (JDCF), the humanitarian arm of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, agrees with the ORFA report but notes that the numbers are understated. “Over 25,000 people have been killed since 2013, with more than 11,000 of our Catholic faithful lost,” Fr. Ejeh said.
“Additionally, 250,000 people have been displaced, forced to flee their ancestral homes,” he added. Fr. Ejeh listed eight villages as abandoned due to attacks: Oweto, Akwu, Enogaje, Ichokolugu, Abugbe, Igagisu, Okpancheyi, and Ogbolokuta.
Fr. Ejeh’s Diocese encompasses Benue South Senatorial District which includes 9 local government areas (LGAs), namely:
1 Ado LGA
2 Apa LGA
3 Agatu LGA
4 Obi LGA
5 Oju LGA
6 Okpokwu LGA
7 Otukpo LGA
8 Ohimini LGA
9 Gwer East LGA
The dominant tribes in Benue South are:
1 Idoma
2 Igede
The dominant church or religious denominations in Benue South are:
1 Catholic Church
2 Pentecostal/Protestant churches (e.g., Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian)
3 African Churches
Rep. Ojotu Ojema, a lawmaker representing Agatu/Apa Federal Constituency in Abuja, concurred. “Agatu and Apa (Local Government Areas) counties are the worst affected by Fulani terrorism due to their proximity to the River Benue,” Rep. Ojema said.
Impacts of Fulani Terrorist Attacks on Benue South Communities
“The impacts of these attacks are staggering. Thousands have been killed, properties worth billions destroyed, and villages devastated, leading to hunger and displacement.” More than 100,000 people from Agatu and 30,000 from Apa have been displaced, with many squatting with relatives in safe places,” Rep. Ojema said.
“The sheer number of lives lost is heartbreaking. More than 15,000 people from Agatu and 5,000 from Apa have lost their lives since the attacks began,” the lawmaker added.
The worst genocidal attack was staged on May 17, 2015, when Fulani terrorists ambushed church worshippers at St. Michael Catholic Church, Methodist, Apostolic Church, Deeper Life Church, and Steward Church Egba Community, killing 105, including 50 Sunday School children, according to the lawmaker.
Almost all residents of Agatu and Apa are farmers or fishermen, with more than 90,000 displaced. “Our people can no longer go to their farms due to fear of attacks,” Ojema explained. “This has led to food scarcity and economic hardship.”
Fulani terrorists occupying Christian land in Agatu
Despite government assurances, the security situation remains dire. Fulani terrorists occupy many riverine communities of Agatu ethnic territory. Pastor Ojema noted that the government’s efforts have failed to stop the Fulani terrorists from occupying many riverine communities.
“As I speak, Fulani terrorists are currently occupying many of the Riverine communities in Agatu (LGA) county, including Akile, Ejima Gega, Ejima Geche, Ogbumogbo, Okpokpolo, and Ikpelle,” he said.
The motivations behind these attacks are clear: land-grabbing and imposition of their religion on Benue people. “The main goals of Fulani terrorists are to send our people away from their ancestral homes, take over their land, subjugate them, and impose their evil doctrine,” according to Ojema.
Similarly, Fr. Ejeh tells TruthNigeria that the aim of the Fulani’s is clear. “They want to eject the Idoma’s, Tiv’s, and Igede’s, who are over 90 percent Catholics, grab their lands, and declare a Fulani Caliphate. “They also want the fertile agricultural lands of Benue and the waters from our numerous rivers,” the cleric noted.
As the humanitarian situation deteriorates, Ojema urges the federal government to take decisive action. “We need a comprehensive approach to address the root causes of these attacks and to protect our people.”
The international community must join forces to demand action from the Nigerian government to prevent a full-blown humanitarian crisis.
“Enough is enough,” Pastor Ojema concluded. “We will not be silenced. We will continue to cry out for justice and protection.”
Benue South Senator Abba Moro Decries Insecurity, Displacement
Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South Federal Constituency, expressed concern over the escalating killings and displacement in his constituency.
Moro, through his media aide Emmanuel Eche Ofun, told Truthnigeria that farmers can no longer access their farms due to sustained attacks, leading to food scarcity in Benue South.
“Farmers can no longer go to their farms because of the sustained attacks, and this is causing serious food scarcity in Benue South,” Moro said.
He added that poor hygiene and lack of medicines in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps have resulted in cholera outbreaks and increased deaths.
“We don’t have the exact figures, but large numbers of farmers and fishermen have been displaced from their ancestral homes by the invaders,” Moro noted.
The senator criticized the federal and state governments for inaction, stating, “There hasn’t been any visible and deliberate effort… to end the insecurity in the area despite repeated calls and appeals.”
Moro also accused Fulani terrorists of pursuing a land-grabbing agenda, but without a sectarian agenda, saying, “The attacks are purely land-grabbing and expansionism agendas without any iota of religious coloration.”
Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani are Conflict Reporters and report for Truthnigeria. They are indigenes of Benue State
