As many as 200 Christians—many of them internally displaced persons (IDPs)—have been killed in what is being described as the worst single atrocity to take place in Benue State, Nigeria.

The attack happened on Friday, 13 June, when armed militants stormed makeshift shelters in the market square of Yelewata, in Guma Local Government Area, near Makurdi.

Firsthand accounts shared with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reveal that the attackers targeted buildings where displaced families were sleeping—setting fire to doors and opening fire as people tried to flee. Survivors say those attempting to escape were attacked with machetes, and many victims were burned alive inside the shelters.

Earlier that evening, police had reportedly repelled an attempt to storm St Joseph’s Church in Yelewata, where up to 700 IDPs were taking refuge. The militants then turned their attention to the nearby market square, where over 500 others were sleeping outdoors.

Initial reports confirmed at least 100 deaths, but the Foundation for Justice, Development and Peace (FJDP), part of the Diocese of Makurdi, has since revised the figure to around 200.

Parish priest Fr Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee described the aftermath as “truly gruesome,” saying:

“People were slaughtered. Corpses were scattered everywhere. Some bodies were burned beyond recognition... infants, children, mothers and fathers just wiped out.”

Fr Ukuma, himself an IDP, said he and others survived by sheltering in the church’s presbytery. He and fellow clergy identified the attackers as Fulani militants and criticised the response from security forces, claiming police were poorly equipped and unable to stop the violence.

Speaking during the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV said he was praying for those “brutally killed” in the “terrible massacre,” the majority of whom were Christians displaced by ongoing violence. He appealed for “security, justice and peace” in Nigeria—especially for Christian communities in rural Benue State.