VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has offered prayers for the victims of the recent mass killings in Benue State, Nigeria, calling for peace, justice, and security in the country amid continued violence in rural communities.
Speaking on Sunday, June 15, 2025, from St Peter’s Square just before the traditional Angelus prayer, the pope expressed deep concern over the deadly attacks in Benue, particularly in Christian farming communities that have repeatedly come under siege.
“I pray that security, justice and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country so affected by various forms of violence,” the pope said.
“I pray in a special way for the rural communities in Benue state who have been unceasingly the victims of violence.”
On Saturday, June 14, 2025, suspected armed herdsmen launched coordinated assaults on Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, killing about 200 people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), farmers, and women.
Some victims were reportedly burned alive in makeshift shelters.
The incident followed a separate attack two days earlier that left at least 25 people dead in Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa, communities in Makurdi LGA.
Local sources said homes were razed and bodies were still being recovered from the surrounding bushland as of Sunday, June 15, 2025.
In response, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) called on President Bola Tinubu to take swift and decisive action to halt the violence.
“The President must show genuine political will to protect vulnerable communities from these persistent massacres,” the association said in a statement released Sunday evening.
“The killings in Benue have become a tragic, recurring decimal, and cannot be normalised.”
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official statement from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
