Pope Leo XIV condemns Benue massacre, mourns 200 slain Christians

In a deeply emotional address on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV expressed sorrow and solidarity with victims of a horrific massacre in Nigeria’s Benue State, where around 200 people many of them displaced christians were reportedly killed by suspected armed herdsmen.

The Roman Catholic Pontiff, speaking just before the Angelus prayer at the Vatican, decried the killings as a “terrible massacre” and called for urgent global attention to the unending violence plaguing rural communities in Nigeria.

According to a post shared via the Vatican News X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Pope said the attack occurred on the night of June 13–14 in Yelwata, a community in Guma Local Government Area. Most of the victims were internally displaced persons (IDPs) being sheltered by a catholic mission in the area.

“I am thinking especially of the rural Christian communities of Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence,” the Pope said, as he led prayers for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria.

The tragedy has sparked international outrage, with Amnesty International Nigeria demanding urgent action from the federal government. In a statement on Saturday, the human rights group urged authorities to “immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice”.

In response to the killings, hundreds of youths took to the streets of Makurdi the state capital, on Sunday to protest what they described as government inaction and worsening insecurity.

The demonstrators, dressed in black and carrying palm fronds and placards, blocked the busy Wurukum junction, disrupting traffic and demanding justice for the slain villagers.

The protest created panic among motorists and commuters, as roads were barricaded for hours. Despite heavy surveillance in the capital, the youths remained defiant, chanting slogans and calling for urgent security reforms.

“We are tired of burying our people. Benue cannot continue like this”; one protester said.

The Yelewata massacre comes just a day after armed herders reportedly attacked the same Yelewata and Daudu towns in the Local Government area of the state.

The latest attack marks one of the deadliest in recent times in the region, further highlighting Nigeria’s worsening security crisis and the growing vulnerability of displaced and marginalized communities.

Nathaniel Gbaoron

Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states. He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.