At 5 a.m. on 24 April, the parishioners of St Ignatius Catholic Church, Mbalom, in Benue, one of the Middle Belt states in Nigeria, were gathered to celebrate morning Mass when unidentified gunmen, thought to be Fulani militia, broke in and slaughtered 17 parishioners and two priests, Fr Joseph Gor and Fr Felix Tyolaha, who were left dying in a pool of their own blood.

The gunmen then pillaged the church, whisking away valuables and Communion wine.