Bishop Anagbe: Nigeria Lacks Will to End Benue Attacks

Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of Makurdi says Nigeria's government has the capacity to end the attacks in Benue State but lacks the political will to do it. In a 3 November interview with ACI Africa, he said the violence continues not because the country is powerless, but because those in charge are not willing to stop it.

"If the government wants this problem to stop, it can stop. Nigeria is capable of handling this issue, but they are not willing to do so. It is not that they lack the capacity; they lack the willingness," he said.

It is a blunt charge from a bishop who has buried the victims. And it lands in a state where farming villages have lived under threat for years, where families sleep lightly, and where the Church has become the place people turn to when the state does not come.

Anagbe, a member of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known as the Claretian Missionaries, spoke while attending a national workshop for lay leaders, organised by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria. He chairs the Episcopal Commission for Laity at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, and his message was aimed at ordinary Catholics, not just officials.

Warnings Before Yelwata Went Unheeded

The heart of the interview is what happened before the deadly attack on the Yelwata community. Anagbe said warnings were issued about a month and three weeks beforehand, and again 24 hours before the attack.

Local vigilantes responsible for alerting the people issued those warnings, he said. No preventive action followed. The attack then lasted about four hours, which the bishop said gave security personnel enough time to step in.

"But no help came," he lamented.

Four hours is long enough for a phone call, for a patrol, for a roadblock, for something. In Yelwata, it was long enough for a community to be torn apart.

Even Village Vigilantes Could Act, He Says

The bishop went further than blaming the police or the army. He said local vigilante groups could help deal with the violence if the goverment showed real commitment.

"If the government wants, even the vigilantes in the villages can handle this issue. I am not even talking about the police," he said.

He also warned about the government's approach to former insurgents described as repentant fighters, and the risk of such individuals infiltrating security structures.

Remembering the Victims of Yelwata

Anagbe also spoke about the dead, and about what the Church did when the state failed them. He said the victims were initially denied a proper burial. The Church later gave them a Christian burial and inscribed their individual names on a memorial in Yelwata.

"The message is simple: The people must know that the Church has not forgotten them. We remember what they went through, how they died, and the fact that they did not have a proper burial," he said.

Names matter here. A memorial with individual names says these were people, not numbers. Anagbe, who began his episcopal ministry in October 2014 as coadjutor bishop of Makurdi Diocese, said the memorial would preserve the victims' identities for future generations.

"By putting their names on the memorial, we ensure that their memory is preserved for generations. These are not fictitious names; each victim's name is recorded there," he said.

Faith That Shows Up in Public Life

The second half of Anagbe's message was a challenge to lay Catholics. He urged them to translate their faith into action through political leadership, education, economic development, and the promotion of justice.

Describing the laity as the backbone of the Church, he said they have many apostolates in which they must participate fully. Their presence in different professions, he added, gives them real chances to influence society.

"They are the salt of the earth and the light of the world," he said.

"Let them truly be the salt that enlivens, refreshes, and gives taste and meaning to life and society. When you eat food without salt, it becomes tasteless. And without light, you can easily stumble and fall," he added.

"We do not simply need politicians who identify as Catholics. Some may belong to the Church, but their actions show that they are not living the faith in their public responsibilities," he said.

"You must be a genuine Catholic and a politician at the same time. It is not enough to attend Mass and worship God during election campaigns while failing to live the Christian life in your daily responsibilities," he said.

"Being a Catholic must be evident in both words and deeds. That is what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world."

Benue's Suffering Is Not New

Benue State, in Nigeria's north-central Middle Belt, has endured repeated attacks on farming communities for years. Seven Christian mourners were kidnapped in Benue with a ransom demanded, as reported in Latest: Seven Christian Mourners Kidnapped in Benue as $23000 Ransom Demanded, and the violence has spread across the region. Two Christians were killed and 18 seized in a Kaduna raid, as covered in Two Christians Killed, 18 Seized in Kaduna Raid, showing how the same pattern reaches beyond Benue's borders. Hundreds of Christians marched in Kolkata after attacks on churches in West Bengal, as reported in Hundreds of Christians March in Kolkata After 48 Attacks on West Bengal Churches, a reminder that believers facing violence in one country are prayed for far away.

And the next time a warning goes out from a village in Benue, the real test will be simple. Does anyone come this time?

But the most surprising part of this story is yet to come — keep reading.