Nigerian Bishop: Christians in Benue State face 'extermination' by militant extremists

l-r: David Smith MP, Bishop Philip Mounstephen, Dr Caroline Hull, Lord Alton, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe and Fr Remigius Ihyula at ACN (UK) parliamentary event in the House of Lords © ACN.

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

A bishop from Nigeria's Middle Belt has denounced the mass killing of Christians by Islamist extremists and militant Fulani herdsmen, and appealed for UK government support at an event yesterday (Tuesday, 25th March) in the UK Parliament.

Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi, who is visiting the UK as a guest of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) together with diocesan pastoral worker Fr Remigius Ihyula, told Westminster parliamentarians that militants had torched his people's homes and forced them to flee to internal displacement persons' (IDP) camps.

The bishop said that Islamist extremists and Fulani herdsmen had targeted Christians in Makurdi and elsewhere in Benue State - farmers driven from their land, churches burned, and priests, Religious and lay members killed.

Speaking at the event chaired by leading human rights champion Lord Alton of Liverpool, Bishop Anagbe said: "The militant Fulani herdsmen bear on defenceless villagers without consequence. They follow orders to conquer, kill, and occupy. They attack even those who have managed to escape into our IDP camps."

He added that for his people, their experience today "can be summed up as that of a Church under Islamist extermination".

Fr Remigius Ihyula gave some graphic descriptions of atrocities he had witnessed in the aftermath of Fulani raids on Christian communitirs.

Bishop Anagbe condemned the lack of action by the Nigerian government to tackle this violence and insecurity.

He said: "When we call for help to the police and the army, they do not come. At the end of 2024, several villages were warned by the attackers of the upcoming violence, and the leaders called the police for defence, ahead of time. But they did not come, and the Christmas massacres, almost customary, took place killing hundreds in Plateau and Benue, with the worst massacre claiming 47 lives."

The bishop called on the UK government and parliamentarians to work with the Nigerian government to bring relief to the suffering of those who have fled the violence and are now in IDP camps.

The prelate said: "I ask you to condition the diplomatic and economic relations of the UK with Nigeria on the return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes and help for them to rebuild their lives. I implore this august body to insist on the return and rehabilitation of all IDPs to their ancestral lands, and not to relocate them to other constructed camps elsewhere."

Bishop Anagbe also called on the UK to ensure justice for those who have been displaced. He said: "Justice for the IDPs should also include seeking punishment for the perpetrators, a restitution of the dignity of the victims. Payment of full compensation to all victims of religious persecution and insecurity. Ensuring that victims of religious persecution get justice."

ACN (UK)'s national director, Dr Caroline Hull, said: "The powerful statement by Bishop Anagbe here today in Parliament brings home the horror and misery facing the Christian population of Benue State.

"At ACN, we are helping to support Bishop Anagbe and the faithful of his diocese, but we can only do so much. This violence and insecurity must be addressed by the Nigerian government, so they can ensure the right to freedom from religious persecution for the Christians in Nigeria in accordance with international law."

The bishop has called for Nigeria to be reinstated on the list of 'Countries of Particular Concern', issued each year by the US Department of State under the Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The bishop's remarks echo those he made two weeks ago in the US Congress where he spoke to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Asked whether Christians and church workers in Benue State were afraid of further attacks, Bishop Anagbe said: "Yes we live in fear, but to remain silent is to die twice."

At the end of the meeting, Lord Alton repeated this statement, saying: "If we remember just one thing from today's event - it must be that statement: " to remain silent is to die twice."

LINK

Aid to the Church in Need: www.acnuk.org