The Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongo, was attacked on Saturday night by suspected herdsmen along the dangerous Makudi-Naka road in Benue State.
According to a statement from Rev. Joseph Beba, Chairman of the Diocesan Priests, Rev. Atongo was shot on the Makudi-Naka road while travelling from Naka, the headquarters of the Gwer West Local Government Area.
Rev. Atongo, the priest in charge of St. John’s Quasi Parish in Jimba, was taken to the hospital right away for treatment, indicating that he was in critical condition.
The Makurdi-Naka road has become the epicentre of herdsmen violence in the past two years.
The road has been abandoned due to the activities of hoodlums who kidnap and kill people on the road.
The Intercept gathered that Fr. Atongo was in the company of two people when the hoodlums struck.
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After shooting the priest and thinking he was dead, the herders reportedly whisked away the other persons to an unknown destination.
There is no information about their whereabouts as of the time of filing this report.
