Catholic diocese shuts Benue institutions after attacks

The Catholic Diocese of Gboko has ordered the indefinite closure of all its institutions in Ihugh town of Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, following repeated arson attacks on school hostels and other church properties.

Our correspondent reports that the decision, which also involves the withdrawal of all priests, religious workers, teachers and medical personnel serving in the community, followed the latest fire outbreak at St. Winifred Girls Secondary School on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

The fire, which gutted a hostel block at the all-girls school, was the fourth such incident at the institution since October 2025 and the third in four months, raising fresh concerns over the safety of students and the security of church-owned facilities in the community.

In a pastoral letter and decree dated October 12, 2026, the Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Most Rev. William Avenya, said the decision followed years of hostility, including repeated fires at the school, persistent burglary at St. Winifred Parish and criminal attacks on St. Thomas Hospital.

The Bishop also cited an incident during the reopening of the hospital on June 21, 2024, when some persons allegedly declared that they no longer wanted Reverend Sisters to work in the community.

He said that the diocese had made several attempts to resolve the situation through dialogue with traditional rulers, community elders, civil authorities and security agencies but had yet to obtain lasting peace and credible guarantees of safety.

Consequently, the diocese ordered the closure of St. Winifred Girls Secondary School, St. Thomas Hospital, Salus Mind Care Centre, Hospital Chaplaincy, St. Winifred Nursery and Primary School, and St. Winifred Parish, all in Ihugh.

Avenya also directed the withdrawal of all priests, consecrated persons, catechists, teachers, medical personnel and administrative staff serving under the diocese in the community.

He said arrangements would be made for affected students to continue their education in other Catholic schools, while patients receiving care at St. Thomas Hospital would be referred to other health facilities.

Earlier, some parents threatened to withdraw children after the latest fire outbreak on Sunday heightened fears among them about the students safety.

A parent, Paul Tikyaa, who has two children in the school, told journalists in Makurdi by telephone that he had decided to withdraw them.

“I have made up my mind to take my two children out of that school. One day, it will be the children that will be set ablaze. Enough is enough,” he said.

Another parent, Mrs Dooshima Agande, said parents had appealed to the Bishop to relocate the school outside Vandeikya LGA.

“This is the fourth time fire has gutted a hostel in that school and we, parents, have now appealed to the Bishop to relocate the school to another local government, not even within Vandeikya,” she said.

Our correspondent gathered that the hostel gutted in Sunday’s fire had reportedly been renovated by members of the Ihugh community following an earlier incident in which another hostel block was completely razed.

After that incident, Avenya had threatened to relocate the school but reconsidered following appeals from community members.

A business mogul and politician, Dr Livinus Tsar, had also reportedly undertaken the construction of a new hostel block, donated N20 million and installed closed-circuit television cameras on the school premises in an effort to prevent further incidents.

However, the latest outbreak has renewed concerns about the effectiveness of measures taken to protect the institution as the cause of the fire had yet to be established as of the time of filing this report,

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue command, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the fire incident, saying no life was lost.

“Yes, there was a fire incident, but no life was lost. The police are currently investigating the incident,” the PPRO said.