Pope Leo laments killing of 200 in Benue, as Tinubu calls for peaceful coexistence
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Roman Catholic Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, on Sunday, led prayers for victims of the massacre of innocent souls particularly in rural Christian communities in Nigeria’s Benue State by suspected armed herdsmen.
This was contained on the X handle of the Vatican News under the caption: “Pope Leo prays for the victims of a ‘terrible massacre’ in Benue State, Nigeria.
The news item read in part: “Around 200 people were ‘brutally killed’ in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June, the Pope said, most of them internally displaced persons “sheltered by the local Catholic mission”.
“Speaking just before delivering the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope prayed for ‘security, justice, and peace’ in Nigeria, adding that he was thinking in particular of the ‘rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence”.
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Also responding to the attack, Amnesty International Nigeria, on Saturday, called on Nigerian authorities to “immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to Justice.”
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, also on Sunday, condemned the continued bloodshed in Benue State, describing the killings as “inhuman and anti-progress.”
The President directed security chiefs to fully implement his earlier orders to stabilise the security situation in the state.
Following Tinubu’s instructions, intelligence officers, police, and military personnel have been deployed to Benue to coordinate security operations and restore order.
President Tinubu also tasked the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, with convening reconciliation meetings and initiating dialogue among stakeholders to end the violence and foster peaceful coexistence between farmers, herders, and local communities.
“The killings and bloodletting in Benue are inhuman and anti-progress,” the President said, urging political and community leaders in the conflict areas to refrain from making unguarded statements that could escalate tensions.
He also called on leaders to take responsibility for discouraging provocative actions and preventing retaliatory violence.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said:
“The latest reports of wanton killings in Benue State are deeply distressing. We must not allow this carnage to continue unchecked. Enough is enough.
“I have directed the security agencies to act decisively—apprehend the perpetrators of these heinous acts, regardless of which side of the conflict they are on, and ensure they are prosecuted.
“Political and community leaders in Benue must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory rhetoric that worsens the situation.
“This is the moment for Governor Alia to rise as a statesman and spearhead a genuine process of dialogue and reconciliation. Our people deserve to live in peace, and this is achievable when leaders on all sides collaborate in fairness, openness, and justice.”
