WREP Visit to Mbalom Council Ward, Benue State

The Ukpor, Ayar-Mbalom Community, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State — with a population of 16,770 as at 2017 — is situated about 90km from Igbor Junction along the Makurdi–Aliade Road. The community has a functional Primary Health Care centre, two schools and a market.

The community came into the limelight on a tragic note on the 24th of April 2018, when heavily armed herdsmen stormed St. Ignatius Catholic Mission in the early hours of the morning, killing 2 priests and 17 worshippers in cold blood, while others were left critically injured. The attackers also burnt houses and other valuables, drawing global condemnation.

WREP's Response

Immediately after the attack, a WREP team comprising Prof. Vickie Sylvester (WREP Chair), Dorcas Iorkusah, Astira Choji, and led by Ms. Mimidoo Achakpa, engaged stakeholders within and outside the country to draw attention to the plight of the community.

Objectives of the Visit

• Meet and condole with members of the affected community.
• Symbolically support severely affected households with Food and Non-Food Items (NFIs).
• Identify possible areas of support and future interventions.

About 400 community members from 67 households welcomed the team. Community members narrated how many residents had fled, leaving those remaining in fear. WREP's intervention aimed to signal that the community was not forgotten and to bridge the gap before larger interventions could take place.