Clergy, Laity Official Decry Massacre of Innocent Christians in Nigeria’s Benue State, Call for Government Action

“Farming activities are shutting down. The peace-loving, hard-working people of Benue who feed this nation are now victims of daily bloodshed,” Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku told ACI Africa.

Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku, Vice Chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, Nigeria. Credit: ACI Africa

Fr. Ichoku faulted the federal and state governments for their lack of decisive intervention. He said, “I wouldn't be able to confirm or deny the narrative of ethnic cleansing or a religious war, but what I do know is that Benue State is no longer experiencing peace.” 

He emphasized that what is happening cannot be described as a herder-farmer clash. “There’s no clash. It’s one person killing other people. Fulani herdsmen are likely to be killing people in numbers. It is like a targeted effort to wipe out certain people,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest said.

He lamented, “Not sufficient is being done to stop this. Among the leaders of Benue State, there are conflicts. Political leaders are not united. They are not giving us the kind of unity of purpose that would reassure the people.”

According to him, the failure of Benue elites to act in unison is a major factor fueling the crisis.

“If they don’t come together and stand united to fight this, this reckless elimination of some people will continue. The governor, legislators, and all political actors must speak with one voice,” Fr. Ichoku appealed. 

In the June 16 interview, Fr. Ichoku expressed concern about the non-enforcement of the state's anti-open grazing law. “Why are people still allowed to roam freely with cattle despite the law? The killings and maiming continue under a law that is supposed to protect lives,” he lamented. 

He distanced himself from religious interpretations; he labeled the attackers as “terrorists”, and added, “I don’t want to see it from the perspective of religion. These are terrorists trying to eliminate a certain group. It can happen to any state in this country.”

He called for an urgent, transparent investigation to expose those behind the atrocities. “The nation needs to know. The results of any investigation should be made public,” he said. 

The Nigerian Catholic Priest said warned that the situation is already destroying livelihoods, lamenting, “People have stopped going to their villages. Farming is no longer advisable because of the risk. Hunger is killing this country because the farmers can no longer go to their farms.”

In another interview with ACI Africa during the June 16 event, the Parish Priest of the Archangels, Durumi-Gaduwa Parish of Abuja Archdiocese, Fr. Ambrose Anene, described the June 13 massacre as a sign of government failure and a shame to the nation.

Fr. Ambrose Anene, Rector of St Bakhita Community of Salesians of Don Bosco, Nigerian Province. Credit: ACI Africa

“The situation in Benue State is appalling. Innocent people are on their farms, in their communities, offending nobody, and yet they are being killed and maimed. What kind of people are we?” he posed.

Fr. Anene lamented the growing disregard for the sanctity of human life, saying, “Human life should be respected from conception to natural death. But in Nigeria, there is nothing like that. In Benue State, they are killing human beings like chickens.”

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He called for urgent intervention, adding that the government should have “policemen, military, and trained vigilantes to protect the people, and not just leave them porous and vulnerable to suffering.”

Also speaking to ACI Africa during the June 16 event, the President of the Laity Council of Abuja Archdiocese, Mrs. Rose Emma Okolo, said, “Benue State is about 98 percent Christian, and the constant killing of innocent farmers is unacceptable. Over 200 people were killed just between June 13 and 14 in Yelewata, Benue state, for doing nothing.”

Evang. Mrs. Rose Emma- Okolo, President of Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, Gaduwa Parish, Abuja. Credit: ACI Africa

Mrs. Okolo also faulted the Benue State Governor for failing to beef up security. “What I have seen so far, I don’t think the Governor of Benue State has actually beefed-up security as it’s supposed to have been,” she lamented. 

She also called upon members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to intervene. The Laity official said, “The Governor of Benue State was once a Catholic Priest. Let’s know the problem. If it’s political, then they need to meet the president to talk about it. The Church needs to start wailing. The Church needs to start praying.”

Mrs. Okolo pledged to mobilize prayers and support within her Parish, saying, “I will champion the cause of more prayers for the Benue people in my parish. We cannot keep losing innocent people every now and then.”

Despite the grim situation, Fr. Ichoku remains hopeful. “We keep praying that God will intervene, not just in Benue State, but in our nation as a whole. We are in a precarious situation,” he said during the June 16 interview with ACI Africa.