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.”
