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A high-powered delegation comprising members of the United States Congress and senior officials of the United Nations has landed in Benue State to conduct an on-the-ground assessment of the persistent attacks on Christian communities widely described as genocide.
The team was received at the gate of the Catholic Bishop’s House, Makurdi, by Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Most Rev. Isaac Dugu, Anglican Bishop of Katsina-Ala, and His Royal Majesty, Tor Tiv James Ayatse CFR, the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation and Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council.
Images circulating widely on social media show the delegates, some in congressional pins, being warmly welcomed by the prelates in cassocks and purple ecclesiastical attire, with the American and Nigerian flags fluttering side by side in front of the Diocesan Secretariat.
The visit is part of a broader international fact-finding mission aimed at documenting the scale, pattern, and impact of the prolonged violence against Christian farming communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, and parts of the North-East.
Benue State, often referred to as the nation’s food basket, has borne the brunt of deadly herdsmen attacks over the past decade, with thousands killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and entire villages razed. Both local and international rights groups have repeatedly labelled the killings as religiously and ethnically motivated genocide.
Religious leaders in the state have consistently appealed to the international community for urgent intervention, arguing that the Nigerian government has failed to protect citizens or bring perpetrators to justice.
The presence of U.S. lawmakers and UN officials on Nigerian soil for this specific mission is seen by many as a significant diplomatic escalation and a glimmer of hope that global attention may finally translate into concrete action.
As the delegation begins its fieldwork, consultations, and visits to affected communities, eyes across the country and beyond are fixed on the outcome of this mission and whether it will trigger stronger measures to halt the bloodshed that has claimed thousands of innocent lives.
