Catholic priest recounts massacres in Nigeria during Lent and Holy Week

 

ACI Africa, May 3, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

In the aftermath of this year’s Holy Week massacres in Nigeria’s Plateau and Benue states that reportedly left over 170 people dead, the pastor of St. Joseph Aboki Parish in the Diocese of Katsina-Ala has shared firsthand testimony of the deadly attacks, which he says were carried out by Fulani herders.

Over 170 Christians were reportedly killed during Lent and Holy Week in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, with at least 72 deaths reported in Benue state alone during the Easter Triduum, between April 18–20.

The attacks, allegedly by Fulani militants, targeted Christian farming communities in Ukum and Logo counties, raising concerns over religious persecution and government inaction in the West African nation.

In an interview with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on April 29, Father Moses Aondoanenge Igba shared his firsthand account of the horror that unfolded between Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

“It was a massive killing. I would say that above 70 people were killed at that time. After the attack, people continued counting their losses. When they could not find their missing brothers, sisters, or relatives, they searched the bushes and discovered their decomposing bodies, led by the odor,” Igba told ACI Africa.

He described the deadly attacks as well organized and systematic. He said: “What happened on that Holy Thursday, which I call Black Thursday, and the following day, Black Friday, was a massive attack and massive killing of innocent people in our communities.”

Alluding to previous deadly attacks in Nigeria during Christian festivities, the priest attributed the repeated killings to the agenda of Islamization on the part of the perpetrators and their accomplices.

“Do not forget the Islamization agenda they have. I ask myself, why is it always during Christian festive periods that these killings take place? Either Christmas or Easter, they come to disrupt our celebrations. It points to a conquest ideology. It is more than just terrorism; it is about land occupation and Islamization,” he said.

Igba explained that beyond the religious motives, there seems to be an economic intent to cripple agricultural activities.

“In terms of food security, it is like they want to destroy what we have so that we can starve and abandon our land,” he said, alluding to the use of “scorched-earth” strategy.

Staying among his people despite the dangers, he recalled the tragic fate of some of his parishioners, who sought refuge at the parish house but still met brutal deaths.

“One of my parishioners, Mr. Augustine Uzu, was with me on the Tuesday of chrism Mass when his village was attacked. He fled to the parish house for safety,” Igba recalled.

Later that night, he recounted, Uzu “decided to return to his village to retrieve some belongings, thinking the danger had passed. Unfortunately, the Fulani attackers were still there. They caught him, and while he tried to escape back to the parish, they hacked him to death, leaving his remains on the roadside.”

Igba recalled how he asked a group of people to retrieve Uzu’s remains. “We waited a day and then mobilized some young men to collect his body parts. We buried him at night, around 2 a.m., under the cover of darkness, and rushed back to the parish.”

The priest also spoke about another parishioner who narrowly survived a machete attack.

“A young man from my parish was caught by the Fulani. They ordered him to lie on his back and then used machetes on him, cutting through his stomach and spilling his intestines. By the grace of God, he survived after being rushed to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Zaki Biam. He is now recovering and can talk and eat,” Igba recounted.

As the violence has intensified, the parish premises has quickly become a place of refuge for parishioners and other community members fleeing the attackers, Igba told ACI Africa, adding that he chose to stay behind and offer hope rather than flee.

“I kept telling my people to have courage. I refused to run away. I stayed in the midst of my people, standing as a sign of hope for them. When bullets were flying over the church, I stood under a tree, directing those running into the parish to go behind the presbytery,” he recounted.

He recalled that many cautioned him about the dangers, but he remained resolute.

“People were scared, telling me I was taking a risk, but I said to them, ‘I am a beacon of hope for you.’ If I had not been there, the people would have fled farther, and nobody would have remained at the presbytery,” he said.

Asked to weigh in on the advocacy for “self-defense,” the 61-year-old Nigerian priest spoke about the challenges that inhabitants of rural communities face there, particularly with the imbalance in firepower.

“When you talk about self-defense in the rural areas today, it is almost impossible. The war is no longer fought with bows and arrows. These people bring AK-47s, AK-49s, and even rocket launchers. Rural communities cannot match their firepower,” he said.

Igba faulted the Nigerian government for what he termed “double standards” in handling attempts by communities to defend themselves. “Communities that try to arm themselves are often branded criminals,” he said. “Meanwhile, the government turns a blind eye to the Fulani herders who carry illegal weapons and infiltrate villages.”

In the April 29 interview, Igba cautioned the faithful against despair in the face of the attacks and the related tragedies.

“My message to the faithful is that whether we have human defenders or not, God is our ultimate defender. Particularly now that we are in the Year of Hope, we must not believe that all is lost. Hope must guide us,” he said, referring to the theme of the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

He encouraged those mourning their loved ones to remain steadfast. “On Good Friday, during the veneration of the cross, I told the people that the suffering of Christ, once a distant reality, has now become our lived experience.”

“Our brothers and sisters have climbed the cross in a difficult and painful way. Those left behind carry the cross of sorrow and betrayal by those meant to protect them,” he said.

Igba went on to encourage the people of God caught up in the wave of attacks to look beyond the pain to the hope that is realized in the resurrection.

“After the cross comes the resurrection. We must believe that their deaths will not be in vain,” he told ACI Africa during the April 29 interview.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.