A Catholic priest in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Benjamin Versue, says his parish home was burnt in a violent night raid.

The incident happened on Monday in Ayetwar, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area. St. Paul’s Parish rectory, he said, was reduced to ashes.

“St. Paul’s Parish Ayetwar rectory, which I sacrificed everything to build, was set ablaze by Fulani Jihadist yesterday,” he wrote on Facebook.

Fr. Versue alleged that the attackers smashed the church windows before overrunning the village. Families fled, leaving their ancestral homes behind.

“Cries of the People Echo Through the Land”

The priest accused the Nigerian Army of leaving the community defenceless. He claimed soldiers disarmed locals while armed assailants operated freely.

“Kudos to the Nigerian army for successfully disarming the people and making them vulnerable to their attackers,” he said.

He further alleged that the invaders were “equipped with logistics and high-level intelligence provided by military personnel,” enabling them to kill unarmed civilians in their sleep.

His words carried pain and anger: “The cries of the people echo through the land… blood flowing like a river. Justice, integrity, dignity, humanity, lost in the fray; a nation’s future uncertain each passing day.”

Violence Without End in Benue

Benue State has long been a flashpoint for deadly clashes between armed herdsmen and farming communities. The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics records indicate hundreds have died in similar violence in recent years.

The latest incident has yet to be independently verified for casualties. The military has not issued an official statement at the time of this report.

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