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Death in Nigeria: Local priests shaken by attacks in homeland
Violence in Africa hits close to home as three local Nigerian priests are shaken by attacks in their homeland. This month's cover story focuses on how our Nigerian priests are coping, and on the Diocese of Tucson's the long standing spiritual connections with the Nigerian Church.
♦ Violence in Africa hits close to home as three local Nigerian priests are shaken by attacks in their homeland.
♦Tucson's connections with Nigerian priests are spiritual and brotherly.
♦ Nigerian bishops to president: If you can't stop violence, resign
♦ Africa struggles to protect Christions and Human Rights
Tucson's Nigerian priests haunted by violent attacks, murders back home
Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix TyolahaFather Samuel Jandeh, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Superior, was angry, scared and frustrated, but mostly angry.
He and two other Nigerian priests serving in the Diocese of Tucson were talking about the murder of their friends, Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, and the more than a dozen parishioners at St. Ignatius Church in Mbalom, of the Benue state. The murders occurred following Mass April 24.
Father Jandeh said that reports from social media indicated that Mass had just finished, and Father Joseph was headed to his car when he and others were ambushed by Fulani herdsmen. He was shot but able to warn the others, including Father Felix, to try to escape.
Media reports say that the Fulani attacks began about six years ago when the herdsmen, identified as Muslims, began grazing their cattle in the fields of farmers, predominantly Christians, residing in the central state, one of the most fertile areas in Africa. It has led to attacks by the herdsmen upon farmers, resulting in areas being abandoned as residents flee from farms they have inhabited for generations.
" I feel helpless. Our families are under siege," said Father Kusugh. "
"Father Felix was running for his life, when he saw some women struggling to run away. He went back to encourage them to run. They pointed to a young boy who had fallen behind. Father Felix went back to pick up the boy and carry him. When the women looked back, they did not see him. The herdsmen had shot him and slit his throat. The boy was also killed," Father Jandeh said.
Father Jandeh and Father Richard Kusugh, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Parker, are members of Via Christi, a society of apostolic life indigenous to the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria. Father John Ikponko is a priest from the Makurdi Diocese who served as chancellor before coming to Tucson in 2017.
Father Ikponko said that Father Felix had served in a mission church in Yogboh. The church had been destroyed earlier this year and its members displaced by Fulani attacks, so Father Felix had been working as a "supply" priest, helping Father Joseph at St. Ignatius.
On New Year's Day, Fulani coordinated attacks killed six dozen in six Benue communities. "They are just killing people, a rampage, and burn their houses before they return to hiding," said Father Jandeh.
Father Kusugh said that the conflict is confusing because it is influenced in part by jihadism and by economic interests. There are also tribal tensions, with the Fulani reacting to a recent anti-open grazing law.
"How do they get away with it?
It seems the federal government is giving them protection," he said. "To see this happening in 2018 defies human logic." "The government there is just not willing to enforce the law. They are just letting this happen," he added. "It just doesn't make sense."
Other news reports note that while Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to send in troops to locate and arrest the killers, he is politically linked to the herdsmen.
"Sometimes, I feel like maybe people here don't care," Father Ikponko said. "Don't people here care that you have a home, even if it is in Africa? Don't they care what you are going through?"
Father Jandeh said that federal troops only arrive after the Fulani have returned to hiding or fled to other states, and do not maintain a presence in Benue despite the ongoing raids.
"The president is an imam (a Muslim leader). He's also a patron for the ranchers," the priest added. "It's the government's job to provide security for its citizens. It's not doing that," said Father Ikponko.
For the three priests in Tucson, these attacks shake them to the core. "I feel helpless. Our families are under siege," said Father Kusugh. He also said he feels guilty that he cannot be there with his family and the community where he grew up in Makurdi. "It's all those things rolled up in one." "I feel angry, frustrated, devastated and helpless," added Father Jandeh.
Father Ikponko said he wants to be able to help, but it's not clear what he can do. "I am praying. I want to speak out any way I can, so the international community can help."
Father Kusugh visited Nigeria last June for a general meeting of the Via Christi Society and renewed his friendship with Father Joseph. Father Kusugh recalled suffering from severe back pain, which his friend noticed and massaged his back every day. By the time the meeting was over, the treatments had worked and he was able to move around without pain, Father Kusugh said. "This was not an isolated case," Father Kusugh said. "He lived his life for other people."
Following Father Joseph's ordination in 2013, people sought him out for spiritual guidance, Father Kusugh said. "At a previous parish, you would see people standing in line just to see him." "For him to die such a gruesome death …" he started, but not completing the thought. Father Jandeh said that even though there appears to be little reason to think things will change, they must have hope. As their families and friends live so far away, they can't help but think about what they are going through. "We are here because we once had a home there."
"Father Ikponko, a native of the village Father Felix fled, said his death has affected him profoundly. Father Kusugh knows that his parishioners here need him, but at the same time, he feels "survivors' guilt."
It's not just the farming communities that are being hit by Fulani raids. Father Kusugh's family lives in Makurdi, Benue's capital. Last Jan. 13, there was a riot that left one person dead and cars and buildings destroyed. Father Kusugh's father and siblings were forced to flee to one room with the family dog as looters ransacked the home. "To this day, I don't know why the dog did not bark," he recalled. "If he had, I would have had to take a leave of absence to go home and bury my family."
Father Jandeh had a similar story, having spent three years earlier in his ministry at a parish that serviced the church in Mbalom. "It could have been me that morning," said the priest, who has been having ongoing nightmares resulting from the reports of the violence.
Father Ikponko, a native of the village Father Felix fled, said his death has affected him profoundly. Father Kusugh knows that his parishioners here need him, but at the same time, he feels "survivors' guilt."
"Sometimes, I feel like maybe people here don't care," he said. "Don't people here care that you have a home, even if it is in Africa? Don't they care what you are going through?"
There hasn't been much published or broadcast about the Nigerian church massacre in the US or Arizona media, so most of his parishioners are not aware of the impact it has on the Nigerian priests serving in the Diocese of Tucson.
"Some people may think, 'Oh, it's over there. We are sure he's doing OK,'" he said, adding that it helps to keep in contact with Fathers Jandeh, Ikponko and other priests from the area for support and information. "That way, I don't have to deal with it alone."
Editor's note: To raise concern about the violence in Nigeria, please call the offices of US Sens. John McCain (520) 670-6334 and Jeff Flake (520) 575-8633.
By MICHAEL BROWN
Managing Editor
Tucson's connections with Nigerian priests are spiritual and brotherly.
By Bishop emeritus Gerald F. Kicanas
The Diocese of Tucson has had a relationship with the Diocese of Makurdi and the Via Christi community (a diocesan religious order in Makurdi) for over 20 years. Bishop Athanasius Usuh, bishop of Makurdi, agreed to send two priests initially to serve in Tucson: Fathers Matthew Asemenega and Francis Iber who both served in the Yuma area. Later Father Iber was pastor of St. Francis Parish in Superior. Several years later I met with Father Angus Fraser, the founder of the Via Christi community, and he agreed to send three priests, Fathers James Aboyi, Sebastian Bula and Richard Kusugh to help us minister to our parishes. What a gift these priests have been, coming as missionaries into a different culture to help care pastorally for our people!Several years ago, I had an opportunity to visit in the dioceses of Gboko, Lafia, Katsina-Ala and Makurdi. They each have sent us priests to serve here. It was a marvelous experience to witness the living, active faith of the priests and people there. I was privileged to ordain 10 young men for the Diocese of Gboko. The music and participation of the people was incredible; there was such joy in welcoming these new priests. While in Benue State, I had a chance to visit the Via Christi seminary and the seminary in Makurdi and to meet with so many young men who were studying to be priests. One could only admire their enthusiasm and eagerness to serve. During my visit, I met with each of the bishops who had sent priests to serve here including Bishops William Avenya (Gboko), Peter Adoboh (Katsina-Ala), Matthew Audu (Lafia), Wilfred Agnabe (Makurdi) and Cardinal John Onaiyekan (Archdiocese of Abuja) whose brother Michael lives in Tucson. At that time, it was my privilege to visit Bishop Athanasius Usuh who was retired and who was then very ill. He had visited us in Tucson some years ago and we developed a good friendship. He has since gone to the Lord.
You can only imagine, in light of our long friendship, the heartache I and others in our diocese feel in to learn of the two priests, Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, along with 17 parishioners who were murdered during Mass by Fulani herdsmen in a horrific attack in Ayar-Mbalom a remote village in Benue State. Our heart goes out to the bishops, priests and people in Benue State, Nigeria, where tensions are high. The week after this tragic event, I was in Rome and learned that all the Nigerian bishops were also in Rome visiting our Holy Father Pope Francis as part of the ad limina visit. I had called Bishop Agnabe and Father Theo (head of the Via Christi community) to express our sympathy at their loss.
We grieve together. We stand in solidarity with the Church in Nigeria which has made such an impact on our diocese. Our prayer is that they know of our concern. We ask the Lord to watch over and protect the community from further violence and loss of innocent life. May those who died rest in peace and may their families be consoled that they now stand in the presence of God.
Nigeririan bishops to president: If you can't stop violence, resign.
By PETER AJAYI DADA
Catholic News Service
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria's bishops condemned repeated killings of innocent Nigerians by suspected ethnic militias in northeastern Nigeria and said President Muhammadu Buhari should resign if he could not keep the country safe.Asking, "when will this barbarism end?" the bishops condemned the murder of two priests and their parishioners during the celebration of Mass, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Ayer Mbalom, April 24. Attackers also burned about 50 houses, nearly destroying the small community.
It was the latest in a string of violent incidents involving nomadic herdsmen and farmers, violence linked to grazing rights and dwindling fertile land. Benue state, where the incident occurred, has seen nearly 50 such attacks in the last three years.
The bishops issued their statement from Rome, where they were making a regularly scheduled visit to the Vatican, and said they received the news of the "gruesome, grisly and dastardly murder" with "deep shock, sorrow and utter horror."
"These innocent souls met their untimely death in the hands of a wicked and inhuman gang of the rampaging and murderous terrorists, who have turned the vast lands of the middle belt and other parts of Nigeria into a massive graveyard," the bishops said.
They said the unrestrained mayhem had become a metaphor for the untimely deaths that had now become the fate of many of Nigerian citizens.
"That our two priests, Father Joseph Gor and Father Felix Tyolaha, along with their parishioners were waylaid in the course of the celebration of the holy Mass early in the morning suggests very clearly that their murder was carefully planned," the bishops said. Nineteen people were killed in the attack.
"We are sad. We are angry. We feel totally exposed and most vulnerable. Faced with these dark clouds of fear and anxiety, our people are daily being told by some to defend themselves," the bishops said, noting that most people had no weapons to defend themselves....
They said recent events showed Nigerians no longer could trust Buhari. They mentioned the repeated calls from them and many other Nigerians, asking the president to take drastic and urgent steps to reverse the violence.
"It is clear to the nation that he has failed in his primary duty of protecting the lives of the Nigerian citizens," the bishops said.
"Whether this failure is due to his inability to perform or lack of political will, it is time for him to choose the part of honor and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse," they said.
Often, the violence is characterized as a revenge attack, but the bishops asked, "Whom have these priests attacked?"
They cited a Jan. 3 tweet from Father Gor, in which he referred to the Fulani herdsman, a primarily nomadic group. The bishops quoted: "We are living in fear. The Fulanis are still around here in Mbalom. They refuse to go. They still go grazing around. No weapons to defend ourselves."
The priests could have fled, the bishops said, but, true to their vocation, they remained to continue to serve their people right unto death.
"We are sad. We are angry. We feel totally exposed and most vulnerable. Faced with these dark clouds of fear and anxiety, our people are daily being told by some to defend themselves," the bishops said, noting that most people had no weapons to defend themselves.
"How can the federal government stand back while its security agencies deliberately turn a blind eye to the cries and wails of helpless and (unarmed) citizens who remain sitting ducks in their homes, farms, highway and now, even in their sacred places of worship?"
".... How can the federal government stand back while its security agencies deliberately turn a blind eye to the cries and wails of helpless and (unarmed) citizens who remain sitting ducks in their homes, farms, highway and now, even in their sacred places of worship?"
The bishops recalled that during a Feb. 8 courtesy visit to Buhari, they expressed alarm about security in the nation.
"Since then, the bloodletting and the destruction of homes as well as farmlands have increased in intensity and brutality," they said. "Now our churches have been desecrated and our people murdered on their altars."
They said they had consistently advised their people to remain peaceful and law-abiding, but they felt "violated and betrayed in a nation that we have all continued to sacrifice and pray for."
"We are at a loss as to what excuse again we can continue to give about why things are the way they are in our nation, where a nation's landscape is littered with the bodies of its own citizens," they said.
"We are sad and fear that the clock is ticking. The bomb must be defused quickly before it explodes," they said.
"Nigeria can return to normal times if we put our heads together with sincerity," they said, offering prayers for the victims and for peace in the country.
Africa struggles to protect Christians, human rights
South Sudan religious leaders persist in hope amid new nation's turmoil
WASHINGTON (CNS) -Christian leaders in South Sudan say they must hold out hope for peace in the war-scarred nation. "It seems to us the American influence is receding," said Bishop Isaiah Majok Dau, head of the Pentecostal Church of South Sudan, part of the delegation. Father James Oyet Latansio, general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches, said America could declare that "no guns should be imported to South Sudan" as the armed factions - estimates put the number as high as 40 - squabble over wealth and territory.
Central African cardinal warns against revenge after church attack
BANGUI, Central African Republic (CNS) —A cardinal in the Central African Republic warned against revenge after a priest and at least 24 lay Catholics were killed during a gun and grenade attack on a Mass in the country's capital. "For decades now, what have we done with our country: coups d'etat, mutinies, repeated rebellions?" said Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga, president of the bishops' conference, May 2, the day after an attack.
Burundi's bishops say people are too afraid to vote honestly
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (CNS) —Catholic bishops in Burundi have criticized an upcoming referendum on constitutional reform, warning that voters will be too afraid to express their views. If passed May 17, the proposal would enable President Pierre Nkurunziza, already in power since 2005, to remain in office till 2034. "Many citizens are living in fear, even if they don't say this openly, and don't dare say what they think for fear of reprisals," the bishops' conference said in a statement.
Nigerian bishops say Buhari should resign if he can't stop violence
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNS) — Nigeria's bishops condemned repeated killings of innocent Nigerians by suspected ethnic militias in northeastern Nigeria and said President Muhammadu Buhari should resign if he could not keep the country safe. See link above
Lay Catholics plan more protests in CongoARU, Congo (CNS) — Catholics in Congo are planning more large-scale, peaceful demonstrations across the country to protest President Joseph Kabila's refusal to leave power. "Let's stay together, ready to face the worst, to snatch the best," the Church's lay coordination committee said in a May 1 statement.
Cameroon archbishop survives gun attack after criticizing the governmentYAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) - The Catholic Church in Cameroon said shots were fired at the residence of Archbishop Samuel Kleda, bishops' conference president, after he criticised policies by the government of President Paul Biya. There were no reports of injuries.
