Are worship places, priests herders’ new onslaught?

Is the invasion of a seminary and consequent attack on priests by killer-herders in Jalingo, Taraba state, a confirmation of new dimension of onslaught and killing field of the killers? STEPHEN OSU asks in this write up, in the light of the attack on Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Jalingo, Taraba state, penultimate Monday
Herders storm seminary
For the period that herdsmen decided to launch a genocide on minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, there was no attack on worship places until on 24th April 2018, when two priests and worshippers were murdered in Benue state, by the herdsmen.
The victims were buried on May 24 this year, a funeral that attracted condemnations from the clergy, governments- both federal and states, civil society organizations in fact, the entire Nigerian society condemned the barbaric act.
But the killer herdsmen have refused to be deterred by the wide condemnation across Nigeria and the world, just four days after the burial of their victims in Benue state, the herders again attacked, this time, it was the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Jalingo, Taraba state.
On the eve of Democracy Day at about 1:00am, according to the priests at the seminary, well- armed herdsmen who were speaking the Fulani language attacked the seminary and shot one of the priests in the leg.

Shot priest in the leg
Rev Fr. Cornelius Koba, who was shot in the leg during the attack, told journalists that the attackers stormed the Seminary and headed to his room where he was brutalised.
The Catholic priest also revealed that he once warned one of the herders not to graze in the seminary but rather than heed, the herder boasted that if they found grasses inside the Church they will graze their cattle inside there.
Explaining in details, the priest said, ‘’They came around 1:am and got a student whom they ordered to take them to my room. I came out and met them, they were all armed and were over five in number. As soon I came out one of them said see him, kill him, but one of them objected”.
“They also shot and blew the windscreen of my car. One of them opened fire at my window and destroyed my television set and other properties”. He added.
He explained further that his offense was that, he stopped the herders from grazing in the seminary’s premises.

Police confirmed
The Nigerian police Taraba state command, through its public relation officer ASP. David Missal, confirmed the attack but, said no arrests have been made, he however assured that the perpetrators will be brought to book.
The PPRO also told Blueprint on phone that a manhunt has been launched by the command against the criminals who attacked the seminary arrested and the command is confident they will be apprehended.
Taraba state government through the senior special assistant to the state governor, on media, Bala Dan Abu, also condemned the attack on the Catholic school, but called on the host community and the entire Christian community in the state to remain calm, saying that government will get the perpetrators to face the rot of the law.

It is regrettable
In his reaction the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Jalingo, The Most Rev. Dr. Charles Hammawa, also condemned the attack on Minor Seminary and the shooting of a priest.
Hammawa who described the attack as regrettable urged government to be more serious in handling security issues in the country.
“It is regrettable that as a church, we are only modeling the children to be good citizens of the country, but we are now being attacked unprovoked’’.
He however thanked God because no life was lost during the incident.
“This is one attack too many. Fr. Koba had only told the Fulani herdsmen to stop grazing on the school premises and they came after him in the dead of the night.” He said.
According to the Bishop, for the Fulani herdsmen to attack their school in Jalingo, is an indication that the security situation in this country has become extremely bad.
“The primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property and we will continue to call on government to sit up”, he said.
The Bishop however explained that all the students that ran into the bush for safety during the attack have returned.
He also announced the temporary closure of the school, stating that the seminary would be shut down for one week, to enable the students to go home and overcome their trauma before they can continue with their studies.

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