Benue Killings: Pope Leo Prays For Victims
Pope Leo XIV has offered prayers for victims of violent attacks by suspected herdsmen in Benue State.
This was disclosed on the official X handle of the Vatican News on Sunday, captioned “Pope Leo prays for the victims of a ‘terrible massacre’ in Benue State, Nigeria.”
On June 14, over 100 people were reportedly killed in attacks by suspected herdsmen in Yelewata and Daudu communities, in Guma LGA of Benue state.
Reports indicate that many internally displaced persons (IDPs) and farmers were killed, with some reportedly burnt alive in makeshift shelters.
In his remarks before the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope described the violence as devastating, highlighting that most of the victims were internally displaced persons sheltered by a local Catholic mission in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area.
He said, “Around 200 people were ‘brutally killed’ in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June, most of them are internally displaced persons sheltered by the local Catholic Mission.”
The pontiff further prayed for security, justice, and peace to prevail in Nigeria. He prayed particularly for the rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence.
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.
Similarly, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the federal capital territory (FCT) urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action against the attacks in Benue.
Benue Killings: Pope Leo Prays For Victims is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
