Catholic priests in Makurdi, Benue State, have distanced themselves from Governor Hyacinth Alia’s recent statement that the insecurity in the state is not a genocide.
Alia, a Catholic priest turned governor, had on Wednesday stated that the security challenges facing Benue should not be described as genocide.
The governor stated this at a consultative forum on protecting the rights of Internally Displaced Persons and Forcibly Displaced Persons, organized by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja.
He said, “I am a Reverend Father, so being in governance does not take that away from me. In my state of Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide. We do not have that.”
Catholic priests from the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, Makurdi Diocese, said on Friday that they officially and strongly supported the submission made by the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Wilfred Anagbe, to the US Congress on Thursday.
In a statement released to the press, the association’s chairman, Revd Fr Joseph Terfa, said, “The Nigerian Catholic Priests Association, Makurdi Diocese, stands publicly and firmly with Bishop Most Revd Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, Cmf, who appeared again yesterday, 20th November 2025, before the US Congress during its public hearing on Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, in condemning the continuous attacks, killings, and displacement of Christians and entire communities in our land.”
The priests reported that for many years, the Makurdi Diocese and other parts of Benue have been subjected to repeated and targeted attacks by armed gangs disguised as herders.
“Even though successive governments avoid acknowledging the gravity of this tragedy or using the word ‘genocide,’ the reality leaves no room for doubt.
“What our people are experiencing bears every mark of genocide: a deliberate, calculated, and targeted attempt to eliminate communities and take over their ancestral lands.
“Genocide announces itself not only in the total destruction of bodies but also in the gradual, deliberate, and sustained efforts to erase belief, memory, and belonging.”
They stated that more than 20 churches and mission stations in the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi had been demolished or abandoned as a result of recurrent attacks.
They also stated that priests had been shot, kidnapped, and slain alongside parishioners while carrying out their pastoral duties.
The clergymen regretted the fact that many villagers no longer have unfettered access to their farms.
“We stand firmly with our Bishop, Most Revd Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, Cmf, Pope Leo XIV, and the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, who have boldly acknowledged our suffering and spoken on our behalf. Today, we reaffirm before the world that we are being calculatively targeted, unprovoked, and our ancestral homes taken over by force.
“As shepherds and leaders in this local Church, and in touch with these realities, we cannot remain silent and pretend that all is well, because ‘to remain silent is to die twice.’ Our people are suffering.
“We are dying. We can no longer move freely. We cannot farm freely. We cannot gather freely. We cannot worship peacefully in our own nation. This situation is not merely a security challenge. It is a humanitarian tragedy, a moral wound, and a grave injustice.”
The group criticized political leaders for their silence and denial.
The Catholic priests urged the federal and state governments to act “with sincerity, urgency, and decisive commitment” to save lives and rebuild occupied communities.
They also urged the international community to pressure Nigeria’s government at all levels, as well as security forces, to uphold their constitutional responsibilities to safeguard lives and property and put an end to the atrocities.
“Stop the land grabbing and occupation. Show Nigerians that their lives matter. Reclaim occupied communities and let the IDPs return to their ancestral homes. Provide real security—not promises, not statements, but action,” the priests said.
