By Peter Duru, Makurdi
The Catholic Diocese of Gboko, Benue State, has ordered the suspension of church institutions, including schools and hospitals, in Ihugh, Vandeikya Local Government Area, LGA, over repeated attacks, arson, burglary and alleged harassment of its personnel.
The affected institutions are St Winifred Secondary School, St Winifred Nursery and Primary School, St Thomas Hospital, including Salus Mind Care Center and its chaplaincy, and St Winifred Parish.
The Diocese also ordered the withdrawal of priests, Reverend Sisters, teachers, medical personnel and other workers from the institutions, effective October 12, 2026, until further notice.
Ihugh is the hometown of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The decision was contained in a pastoral letter and decree signed by the Bishop, Most Rev. William Avenya, and the Diocesan Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Marcellinus Wende.
The Diocese said the decision followed repeated attacks, including the burning of St Winifred Secondary School students’ hostels on October 28, 2025; May 10; May 15; and October 11, 2026.
In the letter, it stated: “Over a considerable period, the Catholic institutions in Ihugh have suffered repeated disturbances, attacks and acts of destruction.
“Among these were the recent burning down of the students’ hostels of St Winifred Secondary School, Hugh, on October 28th, 2025; May 10th, 2026; May 15th, 2026; and October 11th, 2026, acts that have destroyed the shelter of young people entrusted to our care, wiped out the labour and sacrifices of many years, and placed the lives and safety of students, teachers, and staff in grave danger.”
It also cited persistent burglaries at St Winifred Parish and criminal incidents at St Thomas Hospital.
The Diocese recalled that during the hospital’s reopening on June 21, 2024, some residents allegedly displayed placards and chanted slogans demanding the withdrawal of the Reverend Sisters.
“The persistent burning down of St Winifred Secondary School students’ hostels was not an isolated event. The consistent burglary issues in St Winifred Parish, Ihugh, the repeated criminal incidents at St Thomas Hospital, Ihugh, and the hooliganism witnessed during the time of the reopening of St Thomas’ Hospital, Ihugh, on 21st June, 2024, wherein the people of Ihugh openly projected placards and chanting slogans that ‘They no longer want the Reverend Sisters to work in Ihugh’,” the letter stated.
It described the incidents as “a systemic pattern of hostility and destruction directed at church-owned properties, alongside arson and harassment.” Each incident has left behind fear, loss and uncertainty among those who serve and are served by the Church.”
Lamenting that its institutions, established to serve the public, had repeatedly been targeted, it said, “The Church exists to bring life. Our schools, hospital and parish in Ihugh were established for the good of all, irrespective of creed or origin. It is therefore a source of profound grief that works meant for the common good have repeatedly become targets.”
The Diocese said it had engaged the host community, traditional rulers, elders and security authorities in efforts to resolve the crisis.
“The Church does not take the path of withdrawal lightly, nor in haste. The Lord instructs us to be peacemakers, and we have laboured to be so. At every stage we sought dialogue rather than confrontation and reconciliation rather than recrimination.
“The Diocese has met with the host community, engaged the traditional rulers and elders of the land, and brought these grievances before the relevant civil and security authorities, all in the hope of finding a just and lasting peace.
“We have listened, we have appealed, and we have waited patiently. Sadly, these sincere efforts have not yielded the peace, security and guarantees that the continued presence of our institutions requires.”
Explaining the closure, the Diocese declared, “The Church is a partner in development, not a victim to be repeatedly wounded. A partnership requires mutual respect, protection and good faith. When the very institutions that serve a community are burnt and their workers threatened, such a partnership cannot be sustained.
“The Church cannot, in conscience, continue to expose her priests, consecrated persons, teachers, medical personnel, students and patients to danger, nor continue to invest the resources of God’s people where they are not safe and are not valued.”
The Diocese stressed that the decision was not motivated by vengeance, saying, “We do so not in anger, nor in bitterness, nor in vengeance, but in sorrow, with prayer, and with the door of reconciliation left open.”
The Diocese directed the withdrawal of all pastoral and other personnel from the institutions and warned that nobody could resume duties in its name in Ihugh without the Bishop’s written authorisation.
It said students would be assisted to continue their education in other Catholic schools, while patients at St Thomas Hospital would be referred to other health facilities.
Expressing appreciation to its workers, the Diocese stated, “We express our deepest gratitude to our priests, consecrated persons, teachers, nurses, doctors, catechists and staff who have served in Ihugh with courage and fidelity, often at great personal cost. You have been faithful servants, and the Lord who sees in secret will reward you.”
While assuring employees affected by the decision, the Diocese said, “staff affected by this decision will be treated with justice and charity, in accordance with Church teaching on the dignity of labour.”
It appealed to community leaders, traditional rulers, youths and government authorities to restore peace, stressing that it did not blame innocent residents.
“To the entire people of Ihugh, to its leaders and to its youth, we make no accusation against the innocent, and we hold no hatred in our hearts. We bear no ill will toward our brothers and sisters, many of whom have known only the good that these institutions brought,” it stated.
However, it condemned the attacks, saying, “We say plainly that violence, arson and destruction are contrary to the Gospel, contrary to the dignity of the human person, and contrary to the good of the community itself. They impoverish the very people they claim to defend, depriving children of education, the sick of healing, and the faithful of worship.”
It urged security agencies and governments at all levels to protect lives and property and prosecute those responsible.
Declaring that the closure was not a final departure, the Diocese said, “This decision is a painful one, but it is not a final farewell. The Church leaves in sorrow, not in contempt.”
It said it would consider returning if there was “genuine repentance, restitution, a firm commitment to peace, and credible lasting assurances of safety” for its personnel and property.
The Diocese also declared Friday, October 23, 2026, a day of prayer and fasting for reconciliation. “We invite all the faithful of the Diocese to a season of earnest prayer and penance for the restoration of peace in Ihugh and in all our communities,” the letter stated.
Contacted Bishop Avenya, who confirmed the resolve of the Diocese, saying, “It is the suspension of activities over the things that happened.”
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