Violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt has once again turned deadly, with at least 36 people killed in coordinated weekend attacks reportedly carried out by Fulani militants. The assaults, which took place across villages in Benue State, also left several injured and two people abducted.
Among the victims was a local Catholic priest, Father Solomon Atongo, from Jimba Parish in the Makurdi Diocese. He was returning from a memorial service held in honour of two priests murdered in 2018 when his vehicle was ambushed. Armed men shot him in the leg, and two passengers travelling with him were abducted. Father Atongo is currently receiving medical treatment.
The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, confirmed that nine people were injured during the weekend violence, and many others have been displaced. Father Oliver Ortese, chairman of the international advisory board for the diocese, described the attacks as part of a broader pattern of religious and ethnic violence that is devastating communities in the region.
“There is a military post where the Nigerian army personnel are kept by the government where this incident happened,” Father Ortese said, questioning how such violence could occur so close to security forces. “Were the soldiers asleep while these shootings by several Fulani were going on?”
In one of the most brutal incidents, 20 civilians were killed when gunmen began firing randomly at residents. A separate attack in Yelewata village took the lives of a father and his two sons, one of whom was just two years old.
These attacks have created ongoing humanitarian crises in the area, with thousands of survivors forced to flee to camps where food and basic necessities are scarce. Father Ortese lamented, “They are creating humanitarian crises as those who survive are moved into camps where they become beggars to eke out a living. This is horror, this is terror.”
Violence linked to Fulani herdsmen and Islamist militant groups has grown in frequency, especially during Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter. Earlier this year, a Nigerian bishop told the UK House of Lords that attacks during Christmas have become a disturbing norm.
Despite warnings, the Nigerian security services have often been slow or unable to respond effectively. Local leaders and church officials continue to urge the federal government to act decisively to protect communities and restore peace to the region.
