Catholic Church Sounds Alarm Over Renewed Southern Taraba Violence
The Catholic Diocese of Wukari in Taraba State has issued an urgent distress call to the Federal Government following a dramatic surge in violent attacks targeting farming communities across Southern Taraba.
In a statement released to journalists in Jalingo on Thursday, church authorities revealed that more than 50 people have lost their lives in recent weeks during coordinated assaults on communities in Takum, Ussa, and surrounding areas.
Decades of Violence: The Shocking Statistics
The diocese provided staggering long-term figures, indicating that over 3,000 people have been killed in the region during the past three decades. The violence has also resulted in the destruction of more than 335 communities and churches, with property damage estimated in billions of naira.
According to the church statement, the current humanitarian crisis has displaced approximately 300,000 residents, predominantly comprising vulnerable groups including widows, children, and orphans who have lost everything.
The appeal came shortly after the diocese conducted a three-day workshop focused on Pastoral Care and Counseling for Traumatized and Distressed Internal Displaced Persons within the diocese.
Affected Communities and Recent Attacks
The Catholic diocese identified multiple communities that have recently come under siege by armed attackers. In Chanchanji ward of Takum Local Government Area, the affected communities include:
- Kwanta
- Dooshima
- Amadu
- Ioveer
- Sember
- Jabi
- Ayu
- New Gboko
Across Ussa Local Government Area, several communities have also faced violent attacks, including Kapsitswa, Kapsi, Waesi, Sati Tsinya, Wakan, Kwabu 1, and Kwabu 2.
The death toll breakdown shows over 40 people killed in Takum and more than 30 fatalities in Ussa during the recent wave of violence.
Urgent Calls for Government Intervention
The church statement, jointly signed by Very Rev. Fr. (Professor) Anthony I. Bature (Vicar Administration), Very Rev. Fr. Simon Akuraga (Chancellor), and Rev. Fr. Moses Angyian (Chairman of the NCDPA), accused armed herders of carrying out what they described as "marauding attacks" using sophisticated weapons.
According to the diocese, the attackers frequently seize control of homes and farmlands belonging to displaced residents, compounding the humanitarian crisis.
While acknowledging state government efforts in addressing crises elsewhere in Taraba, the church leadership urgently appealed for similar interventions in the affected Southern Taraba communities.
The diocese made several critical demands to address the escalating situation:
- Immediate deployment of security personnel to protect vulnerable communities
- Emergency relief materials for displaced persons
- Medical care for the injured
- Long-term plans for the return, reintegration and rehabilitation of displaced families
"As we continue to work and pray for peace, we also call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to be open to help from wherever it can come from to end killings in the country," the statement emphasized.
This urgent appeal comes days after United States President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, specifically warning against the killing of Christians in Nigeria and threatening military action if the Nigerian government fails to stop the violence.
