Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anag-be of the Diocese of Makurdi in Nigeria has called for action to address escalating insecurity in Nigeria’s Benue State, which has led to the closure of over 15 parishes in his diocese.
In an interview with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, during the seventh Inter-national Theological Conference organized by the Institute of Consecrated Life in Africa, Anagbe urged the Nigerian government to prioritize security to restore hope and enable dis-placed persons to return to their ancestral homes. “Benue state is like the epicentre of what is ha-ppening. In my Diocese of Ma-kurdi, I have lost about 14 to 15 parishes now,” the bishop said. “When I mean parishes, some parishes have about 20 ‘outsta-tions,’ some have about 15. It covers almost 20-25 kilometres. So, the demography of the state and the diocese is shrinking.”
Anagbe clarified that the closure of parishes owing to inse-curity is also being witnessed in the Otukpo Diocese as well as in the Katsina-Ala Diocese. Both are located in embattled areas of Nigeria. The bishop expressed concern about the constant re-ports of killings and kidnappings in the country, emphasizing the role of the Nigerian government to protect lives and property.
“Every day we must hear about killings and kidnappings. And it is not for the people to defend themselves because the protection of lives and properties is in the hands of the govern-ment,” the Catholic leader explained. He said authorities in Nigeria should “do the needful thing,” adding: “We have been plunged into untold hardship. It is not just Makurdi but the whole of this country. As you travel from any part of this country … until you arrive, you are not safe.”