It was meant to be a short journey home. But for Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongu, the road back to his Tyoshin parish ended in tragedy. Ambushed by armed men suspected to be herdsmen, the local priest was fatally shot, while his two travel companions were taken into unknown captivity. The attack has again shaken a region already burdened by loss.
The killing of Rev. Fr. Atongu and the abduction of two others add to a disturbing trend of violence against Christian communities in Benue.
- Rev.. Fr. Solomon Atongu was ambushed and killed in Tyoshin, Benue State
- The assailants kidnapped two colleagues travelling with him
- The attackers are suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, continuing a pattern of violence
- Benue communities, mostly Christian, have faced ongoing insecurity and targeted killings
- Clergy and churches have increasingly been caught in the violence across Nigeria’s Middle Belt
