Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has expressed his condemnation of the recent killing in Benue State and offered prayers for the rural Christian communities impacted.
According to reports, between the evening of June 13 and 14, 2025, some 200 people were “brutally killed” at Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area.
Maurice Orwough, the chairman of the Guma Local Government Area, acknowledged the occurrence and said that over 26 people had been hospitalized and that others had been slain.
“They initially attempted to attack Daudu, but were repelled by the military. Sadly, they later regrouped and moved towards Yelwata, where over 100 armed herdsmen opened fire on civilians,” he said.
The Pope bemoaned the fact that the local Catholic mission was housing internally displaced people, who made up the majority of the victims.
“I pray that security, justice and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country afflicted by various forms of violence. And I pray in particular for the rural Christian communities of Benue State, who are incessant victims of violence,” he concluded.
One of the deadliest in a string of attacks involving herders that have plagued the State for a long time, the killing exacerbates tensions between armed groups and farming communities.
