A bishop in Nigeria has called for justice and the return of displaced people to their homes after one of the worst massacres in the country.
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi was speaking on the first anniversary of the slaughter of more than 250 Christians in Yelewata, Benue State, on two days in June 2025.
He told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that families who had already been displaced because of violence were sheltering in buildings in Yelewata market square, when militants stormed in and shot, macheted, and burned alive those attempting to flee. He said the “taking of human life remains a grave crime against God and humanity” but that the state had been slow to respond, despite the fact that security personnel could have been deployed and arrived in time to stem the violence, “even if they had travelled on bicycles.”
To date, no one has been arrested in connection with the crime and the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a peacekeeping force, is failing to capture insurgents, according to the bishop.
He added: “Some individuals continue to deny the existence of a genocide against Christians because they are protecting their personal interests and privileges.
“Those responsible for these atrocities must not be allowed to move freely without being brought to justice… If ECOMOG was able to restore peace in other nations, then the question remains - who are these elements terrorising our villages?”
Father Jonathan Ukuma, the local parish priest who also witnessed the massacre, remained with his community.
He told ACN: “God has not abandoned us. Faith overcomes any challenge.”
He said people had lost everything – their homes, their livelihoods, and numerous loved ones – adding: “People need support to regain their dignity and their hope.”
On Saturday, 13th June, hundreds of survivors, relatives of the victims, and members of the local Church attended a memorial service in Yelewata, remembering victims of the deadly bloodshed a year earlier.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Crotty, sent a message to the gathering, emphasising that despite persecution, “the Church will never relent in its mission of evangelisation”.