Nigeria: Priest commits to remain, rebuild after 200 Christians massacred

The priest in Nigeria who narrowly escaped with his life following one of the country’s worst massacres of Christians has spoken of his determination to stay and help the community rise again out of the ashes of persecution.

Father Ukuma Jonathan’s latest interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) comes amid reports that the death toll in Yelewata, Benue State had risen to more than 200, with as many as 20 corpses recently discovered in a bush and inside an empty building.

On Thursday, June 19, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria called for a nine-day period of prayer beginning on June 21, for, among other intentions, peace and healing in Nigeria, divine protection, and conversion of those responsible for the attacks.

Father Jonathan said that two days after the massacre, as few as 20 people were at Sunday Mass in the town’s St. Joseph’s Church – down from the normal attendance of nearly 500 – with the rest either dead or scattered to neighboring towns and villages. He said he was determined to stay to rebuild the parish, despite the trauma of coming close to being killed by gunmen in the massacre, and even though he has been a priest for less than two years.

Emphasizing that the town lies close to Benue’s “volatile” border with Nasarawa State, he called for increased security, either a military base or a full-scale barracks. He added that families who fled want to return, provided that security is in place. 

“Many of our people who are scattered wish they could come back and rebuild their lives,” he said.

Speaking on Wednesday, June 18, Father Jonathan told ACN: “I am very much here in Yelewata. This is where I am staying. I will continue to serve the people here for the glory of God.”

Need to get to the root of the problem

He recalled how he was trying to put behind him the “terrifying” experience he had on the night of the massacre, when at the sound of gunfire outside, he and others, including children, threw themselves on the floor in his presbytery.

Father Jonathan said that although the victims of the attack were IDPs living in temporary accommodation in the town’s market square, many see Yelewata as their home. He stressed the need for support for the IDPs now sheltering in towns such as Dauda, and he called for prayers and action toward justice and peace.

“May God grant eternal rest to those who lost their lives, consolation to the grieving, and the return of peace,” he added.

Stressing the need to stop the violence, the priest said: “The night the atrocity happened, the police did whatever they could. In the future, we hope that there will be more security personnel provided. The government have said that they would go after the perpetrators, and we are hoping that they will go to the root of the problem.”

Visiting the scene of the massacre earlier this week, General Christopher Musa, the Chief of the Defense Staff in Nigeria, reportedly suggested insider collaboration in the attacks, saying, “We have observed that the way some of the burnings were carried out shows they were targeted. It indicates the presence of insiders compromising security efforts.”

In their June 19 statement, the Nigerian bishops asked all Catholics in Nigeria and “all people of goodwill” to pray the Rosary each of the nine days they have set as a period of prayer for Nigeria. The Rosary, they suggested, should be followed by the “Prayer for Nigeria in Distress,” and on the final day, Mass should be offered for “peace and healing in Nigeria, the repose of the dead, the comfort of victims, divine protection, and for the conversion of those responsible for the barbaric massacre of unarmed fellow citizens, including women and children.”