Residents of the Mbalom community in the Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, including the Catholic Parish Priest in charge of St Ignatius Catholic Church Ukpor, have reportedly fled for their lives, following the alleged threat by gunmen said to be herdsmen to attack the village.
Benue has become the epicentre of armed group violence, with scores killed, many displaced and property destroyed. Nyinya reportedly fled alongside many parishioners.
Saint Ignatius Catholic Church was attacked six years ago by terrorists, with Rev. Frs. Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha gruesomely murdered.
At least 17 worshippers were also killed during that attack. In a viral video, Nyinya cried out over the insensitivity of both the federal and state governments to the deteriorating security situation in Benue.
He said: “Look at these beautiful structures built by the inhabitants all over this place, who are we going to run away and leave them with for Fulani of course.
“Everybody has run away, this place is now a desert and that is what the government wants, they want Fulani to occupy Nigeria, what’s all these? “This is our village, we don’t know where else to run to.
“You allowed Fulani to come and take over our land, are they superhuman beings? Are they more Nigerians than us?”
The cleric asked the government to rise up to its constitutional responsibility of protecting life and property to enable displaced people return to their ancestral homes.
