Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi has emerged as a central figure in the escalating dispute between the United States and Nigeria over allegations of mass killings of Christians in parts of the country’s Middle Belt.
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Anagbe first drew international attention when he testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa on February 14, 2024, describing what he called the “genocidal persecution of Christians” in Benue State and neighbouring areas. He returned to give further testimony on March 12, 2025, alongside Reverend Father Remigius Ihyula, presenting accounts of what they described as systematic massacres, kidnappings, church burnings and large-scale land seizures targeting Christian farming communities.
According to records presented by the Catholic Diocese, the clerics tabled figures saying more than 1,000 Christians had been killed within months and over 160 churches destroyed, and they alleged that entire farmlands and villages had been seized by attackers. Anagbe accused the Nigerian government of a “conspiracy of silence,” claiming authorities had turned a blind eye while the violence continued.
Following their testimonies, both clerics reportedly received death threats. In April 2025, several foreign embassies, including the U.S. embassy, issued warnings that Anagbe could face arrest if he returned to Nigeria, a claim the Nigerian Foreign Ministry denied and pledged to investigate.
Violence in Benue intensified in late May 2025, when attacks between May 24 and 26 on Anagbe’s home area of Aondona reportedly left dozens dead and hundreds displaced. Subsequent coordinated attacks between June 1 and June 13, 2025, in parts of Gwer West and Apa LGAs, including Yelwata near Makurdi, were reported to have killed hundreds, with some accounts alleging victims were burned alive.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) issued a strongly worded statement condemning the attacks and expressing “deep anguish of soul” at what it called “utterly barbaric massacres of innocent civilians” in Benue State. CBCN president Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji described the carnage as a moral and constitutional failure and demanded that the violence stop.
Independent groups also weighed in. A study cited by the Catholic-linked NGO Intersociety, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, alleged that armed groups and their allies occupied at least 950 locations across largely Christian south-eastern states, spread over some 800 communities, placing almost 40 percent of those communities under threat.
The matter escalated sharply on October 31, 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged persecution of Christians. In a series of public statements and video addresses in early November, Trump described Christianity in Nigeria as facing an “existential threat” and warned that the United States would act if the Nigerian government failed to halt the killings. He said he had instructed the Department of War to prepare options for possible military measures and warned of sanctions and the suspension of aid if the violence continued.
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid assistance to Nigeria,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. “cannot stand by” while such atrocities occur and calling on members of Congress to investigate immediately.
Trump also asked Representative Riley Moore, Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee to look into the claims and report back.
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The U.S. designation and Trump’s remarks prompted intense diplomatic and domestic debate. Supporters of the clerics’ testimony say the international spotlight is overdue and necessary to force action. Critics have warned that threats of military intervention and heavy-handed rhetoric risk internationalising what they frame as a complex, multi-dimensional security problem and could worsen instability.
Church and civil society actors continue to press for independent investigation and protection for vulnerable communities. The situation remains fluid. Bishop Anagbe’s testimonies and the attendant reports have amplified global scrutiny of Nigeria’s security challenges, while the government faces mounting pressure to demonstrate effective and impartial action to protect all citizens.
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