It was a black Tuesday morning for residents and the Christian community at Ayar Mbalom in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State as armed Fulani herdsmen desecrated the church killing two priests and 17 worshipers.
Also, no fewer than 35 persons were killed and several others still missing after suspected herdsmen attacked Tse Umenger in Mbadwem Council Ward of Guma LGA, Benue State.
Our correspondent gathered that the heavily armed men, numbering over 50, stormed the village yesterday around 7pm and set the entire village on fire.
Our reporter gathered that no single house was standing in Mbadwen village at the time of this report.
Among the victims of the Gwer East attack were two Rev Fathers whose names were given as Rev Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, two primary school headmasters; Peter Dick and Ape Chia, also a secondary school principal whose name was given as Michael Tor and fourteen other worshipers.
The victims had gone to morning mass at St Ignatius Quasi Parish when their attackers who had laid ambush on the community swopped on them around 5.30 am and snuffed the life out of them.
Not satisfied, the herdsmen militia extended their terror to other villagers, burnt their houses numbering about 100.
It was gathered that the whole community was sacked by invading marauders who had a field day to unleash terror on the sleepy community.
According to locals who spoke to our correspondent, the herdsmen might have laid ambush on the community since the wee hours only for them to strike the early hour of the day when some of the villagers went to appreciate God for making it to a new day.
Angered by the ugly development, the director of communication, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Rev. Father Moses Lorapuu described it as ‘attack by herdsmen/Jihadists.
While confirming the attack on the church, Iorapuu said, ‘this is to confirm that Rev. Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha have been killed in the deadly attack by herdsmen/Jihadists early today(Tuesday) on Mbalom village and St. Ignatius Quasi Parish Ukpor-Mbalom.’
The Rev Father disclosed that the herdsmen attacked in their true and classic style, burnt down homes, destroyed food items and killed at will, adding, “to go for the Priests means total destruction of everything we stand for and believe in, as a people.”
“The police seem to know nothing of the attacks which have been going on in other villages within Benue State since the Anti Open Grazing Law came into effect last year”.
“Many people are asking why the International community has remained silent over the massacre of Benue citizens”
“The answer is simple: It has been the goal of the Jihadists to conquer Benue and Tiv people who resisted their advance into the middle belt and the Eastern part of Nigeria since 1804, the people who rejected Islam and fought for the unification of Nigeria in the civil war of 1967 – 1970”, Iorapuu fumed.
He lamented that the people of the state have found themselves in a terrible situation having sacrificed their lives to fight the people of Eastern Nigeria which may have little sympathy for Benue people because they (Benue) fought on the side of Nigeria, stressing that the Muslim North is enjoying a sweet revenge overshadowed by an insensitive regime.
The Reverend Father explained that there were over 170,000 internally displaced persons before the Naka invasion and surely with the current situation in Mbalom, Benue will be flooded with thousands more.
“What cannot be said at this point is the consequences of the death of Missionaries in the silent killings that have been ignored by the government for over a year.
“The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, which is one of the largest Dioceses in Nigeria, has been active in providing relief materials including education and skills acquisition lessons”, he said
The State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni who confirmed the incident said that some armed bandits suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen numbering about 30 attacked a church killing two priests and 16 others.
“Immediately we got this information, We quickly moved in there to do a wider aerial surveillance in pursuit of these attackers to see if we can see them.
“After doing a wider coverage of the general area, we also went to the church where this incident happened. That was where we were told on the spot that these attackers came by 5 am, went into the church and to the venue of a burial that was going on where the priest was supposed to officiate.
“These attackers came about thirty in numbers and the target was the priest and of course the venue of the burial.As at the time l left the place, we were able to see 16 dead bodies including the two priests that were killed.
“The police have taken over the corpses and we have deployed and with the wider aerial coverage and surveillance we did, with the help of the people in the village, we were able to get into the bush to see if we can still lay hands on these people.
“We will intensify our search to go after these people wherever they may hide. We will also work on the information from the members of public there because we believe that they must have been hanging around the place to have committed the act at 5 am. So, we still believe that they would be somewhere around there.
“These are armed marauders who are going about killing people and we will go after them with all the resources.
Also reacting, the state acting governor Benson Abounu expressed concern about the constant attacks.
Abounu described it as an attack well planned, coordinated and executed.
According to him, “let me say categorically that this is another black day in Benue. I am saddened, the governor who is on leave is saddened, Benue people are very sad because I can put it now that Benue is under is under siege.
“We have been attacked from all corners and this is unacceptable.
“What happened today is a calculated attack, well planned, and well executed. They must have taken their time and they hit their target and they got what they desired to.
The acting governor said police have been able to recover 16 corpses, saying that one had earlier been brought to Makurdi.
“As I talk to you now,all the corpses have been brought to Makurdi including the two Reverend Fathers killed right inside the church.
“That is a new dimension of attacks because it has never happened before and therefore is very worrying.I also understand that 17 there people lost their lives”, Abounu said
Meanwhile, the protest has got to the capital city, Makurdi due to the killings of two Catholic Priests and 17 worshippers during morning mass at Ayar Mom community of Gwer East LGA of Benue State.
There is an apprehension all over the capital city as the major market like Wadatta and Wurukum were hurriedly shot in the afternoon.
Our correspondent which went round the town gathered that both government offices and business premises were hurriedly closed.
The tension was triggered when the victims were brought into the town and deposited at the Bishop Murray Memorial Hospital Mortuary, Makurdi.
While the Corpses were being driven to town, the irrate youth took over the major raids and streets including the ever busy Makurdi/Gboko, Makurdi/Kafia road and the Wurukum Roundabout.
The irrate youths also set bonfires in and across the major streets in Makurdi metropolis.
As at the time of filing this report, all the major markets including Makurdi Modern Market, Wurukum market, Wadata market and High Level market as well as commercial banks and schools were all shut down.
For schools, most parents panick as they were called to rush to their schools to pick up their children and wards for safety.
Though adequate security has been beefed up in and around the state capital, residents are still entertaining fears and panicking from fear of further attacks and have called on security agencies and state government to rise up to their responsibility to protect lives and property of the people.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has described as despicable and satanic the gruesome murder of Catholic Priests and worshippers at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Ukpor -Mbalom community in Gwer East Local Government of Benue State.
President Buhari who also said the action of the murderers was sacrilegious in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina in Abuja on Tuesday, said that those behind the act would be fished out to face the consequences of their wicked act.
He said, “I extend my sincere condolences to the government and people of Benue State, the Mbalom community, and especially the Bishop, priests and members of the St Ignatius’ Catholic Church, whose premises was the unfortunate venue of the heinous killings by gunmen.
“This latest assault on innocent persons is particularly despicable. Violating a place of worship, killing priests and worshippers is not only vile, evil and satanic, it is clearly calculated to stoke up religious conflict and plunge our communities into endless bloodletting.”
Stressing that the country will not bow to the machinations of evildoers, President Buhari vowed that the assailants would be hunted down and made to pay for the sacrilege committed
Reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s government as completely confused, incompetent.
It said the government lacked the capacity to secure our nation.
PDP stated this while lambasting the current administration for alleging that the opposition was responsible for the killings in the North-Central.
This was contained in a statement signed by PDP’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.
The statement reads, “It is totally atrocious that instead of waking up to its responsibility or accepting failure and seeking help, President Muhammadu Buhari and his officials have been resorting to blame game in the face of daily bloodletting and mass killings in our country.
“Only recently, President Buhari ran to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby to blame deserters from late Muammah Gaddafi’s Libya as being responsible for the killings.
“In the last three years, the Buhari Presidency had placed blames on past administration, demographic changes, climate change, conflict over cattle routes, decreased farmland space against increased number of cattle and human population. Today, it is the opposition that is responsible for their failure to secure the people.
“It is unfortunate that instead of defining and facing the challenges confronting our nation, the Presidency is busy chasing straws thereby failing to nip in the bud a dangerous dimension in our national history.
“President Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) must be held responsible for the escalation of the killings across country in the last three years; a direct consequence of their incompetence, harsh policies, nepotic proclivities and general failure in governance.
“We know that the latest allegation against the opposition is in furtherance of the plot by the failed APC to set up innocent Nigerians as a face saving stunt to divert attention from their failures.
“The fact remains that President Buhari has failed after winning power on the basis of false promises but more heartrending is this attempt by the Presidency to play politics with human lives.
“As a party, we stand with all Nigerians, especially the victims of the killings under the APC. We invite all Nigerians to join hands with the repositioned PDP as we work towards a national rebirth and the enthronement of a government that truly cares for the people come 2019.”