Nigerian bishop recounts Easter attacks, says 500 parishioners are still in hiding
April 11, 2026
» Continue to this story on Vatican News (Italian)
CWN Editor's Note: Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora, Nigeria, spoke of the Easter attacks that ravaged his diocese—among the series of attacks that took place in the African nation that day.
“The bandits emerged from their hideout within the Borgu Game Reserve in Niger State,” Bishop Yohanna recalled. “Over the following hours, they traveled more than 100 kilometers on a convoy of over 50 motorcycles, stopping along the way to sleep and resupply—all without facing any interference whatsoever from Nigerian security forces.”
After they attacked a village and three settlements, “the Catholic church and the catechist’s home in Debe were razed to the ground; the catechist, his wife, and his family barely managed to escape with their lives, while the Pentecostal pastor of the Redeemed Church, also in Debe, was massacred.”
“The bandits remained in Debe until just two days ago, making it impossible to bury the bodies,” the bishop added. “The death toll is likely at least 24. Meanwhile, there are still approximately 500 people hiding in the parish of Yauri—on the other side of the Niger River—as well as elsewhere within the diocese.”
The prelate also said that since July, Fulani “bandits have seized control of an area spanning over 10,000 square kilometers. Aside from the presence of army and police units in the villages of Babana, Papiri, and Agwara, the entire region remains under the dominion of bandits, rather than that of the Nigerian authorities.”
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