By Amos Aar
A VIOLENT attack on Aondoana, the ancestral home of Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, has resulted in multiple casualties.
The incident, which took place between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, occurred in Aondoana Village, Mbalyongu, Udam Community, Gwer-West LGA of Benue State.
According to eyewitnesses, armed assailants, suspected to be herdsmen, entered the area on motorcycles via the Idoma-Ogobia-Vengav-Aondoana road and opened fire near the town’s main market.
Among those affected were Rev. Fr. Peter Shima, Parish Priest of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and Claretian Sisters serving in the community.
Their current whereabouts, along with some parishioners, remain unknown, and attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful.
Residents who escaped the attack reported that the assailants arrived in large numbers with heavy weapons, firing indiscriminately and causing panic. “People ran in different directions, and many are still missing,” one witness stated.
Security personnel from the Mobile Police Unit in Naka were deployed to the scene but arrived after the attackers had fled.
Police recovered two bodies and later left the area. Shortly afterward, another victim was found severely wounded near the market garage.
A 50-year-old man, Mr. Mson Nyajo, was confirmed dead, with his body discovered behind his home. Three additional bodies were later found near a phone-charging point in the market square.
However, security personnel had not returned to retrieve the remains or assist the injured at the time of reporting.
Chief (Zaki) Jombu Aginde, the kindred head of Mbalyongu community, reportedly survived the attack but remained in hiding, while several of his family members were still missing.
The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Sewuese Anene, confirmed the incident, stating that three bodies were recovered.
Anene also noted that a police officer had died earlier while defending a nearby village in Gwer-West LGA.
This attack follows recent appeals by Bishop Anagbe regarding the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, raising concerns over continued violence in rural communities.
