“I tell you, there is no Fulani man who is indigenous to Benue State, so they are coming as invaders or aggressors,” Anagbe said.
Since the start of 2022, there have been 140 attacks on Christians in Benue State, resulting in at least 591 slaughtered faithful, according to Anagbe.
Because of these attacks, Anagbe said that there are more than 1.5 million Christians in Benue State alone who have been displaced from their homes and villages.
Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic pastoral aid organization, has extensively documented the situation in its efforts to help. In many cases, men are brutally killed and women and children are raped and sent into captivity for the sole reason of being Christian.
Christians are the target
Anagbe called claims that the violence in Nigeria is being caused by climate change “propaganda.”
“They say it’s about climate change; this is not true,” Anagbe said firmly. “In 1989 there was the Abuja Declaration that Nigeria should be established as an Islamic state; this is what we are seeing gradually now today.”
“We should be allowed to worship God,” Anagbe said. “As it is now in some places you cannot even go to Mass and then you go to Mass with a lot of heavy security, within your own country, and that should not be.”
Because of the violence and constant attacks, Benue State is in an increasingly desperate situation. According to Anagbe, homes, schools, and whole villages are destroyed regularly.
Despite the seemingly impossible situation, Anagbe said his faithful and his diocese will continue to trust in God and keep working to rebuild.
“We can’t give up. It’s painful, though, and it’s really traumatizing, but we cannot give up,” he said. “God remains to be the hope we have.”
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Personal impact
Anagbe said that leading a diocese facing such persecution has taken a deep personal toll.
“For me, it’s been a very traumatic experience, and it’s something I don’t wish anybody to go through,” Anagbe said. “Within [three years] I have lost 18 priests, some of them kidnapped and then released but some die in the process.”
One of the hardest parts, Anagbe said, is that he feels the violence has separated him from his people. Sometimes he cannot reach them because of the danger; other times, his people are simply no longer there.
“I have lost about 13 parishes,” Anagbe said. “It’s difficult. You are moved by the zeal of the apostolate to preach the mission, but you cannot go there, and the people are not there.”
“People are leaving, and they don’t know where to go. They are living as refugees but in this case, they are refugees in their own country, in their own state,” the bishop added. “This is their predicament, and they cannot go home, and nobody comes to assist. So, it is very painful.”