Massacre of up to 200 Christians in Benue, Nigeria

On the night of Friday, June 13, 2025, armed militants attacked the town of Yelwata, in Benue State, central Nigeria, where Christian families displaced by previous violence were staying. According to reports from Aid to the Church in Need, the attackers, identified as Fulani extremists, broke into buildings used as shelters (many with more than 500 people sleeping), using fuel to set fire to doors before opening fire and attacking with machetes.

The Red Cross and local sources estimate that up to 200 people died, including women, children, and infants, many of whose bodies were found burned or decapitated. Local priest Friar Ukuma Jonathan said: “The carnage was truly atrocious. The bodies were strewn everywhere.”

The attack came after police repelled an initial assault on St. Joseph’s Church, where another 700 people were sleeping, but the attackers then switched their target to the market, which had been turned into a shelter.

The priest, Father Jonathan, who survived after throwing himself to the ground upon hearing gunshots, has vowed to remain in Yelwata to help with the reconstruction of the church and homes, and is demanding a permanent military presence in the area. Church leaders have denounced the delays by security forces, who only arrived on the scene the following day.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his condemnation and called for justice: “I pray for those brutally murdered… for the rural communities of Benue State.” The massacre is described as the deadliest in the region in years and is part of a growing wave of Islamist attacks and conflicts between Fulani herders and Christian farmers.

Humanitarian organizations and religious leaders are demanding an urgent international response that ensures the protection of vulnerable communities and that those responsible for this tragedy are held accountable