A few days after the massacre of over 100 people in the predominantly Christian villages of Benue, Nigeria, the country’s president sought action against the perpetrators, even if the local traditional rulers tried to correct him and others for the nature of such attacks.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended a meeting at James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, the capital of Makurdi, the top ruler of the TIV tribes, and said that attacks such as the June 13-14 massacre in Yelwata village were not the result of sectarian conflicts.
According to Outlet Truth Nigeria, Ayatu said, “It’s not a crowd conflict, it’s not a joint conflict or a retaliatory attack.” “It’s a calculated, well-planned, full-scale massacre invasion and land grabbing campaign by Helder terrorists and bandits.”
While some Muslim Fulani herdsmen still argue for the claims of outdated grazing routes that have been owned primarily by Christian farmers for decades, the large-scale years of Cattlemen’s much-armed attacks contrasted with the “Helderfarmer’s pastor and pastoral pastoral pastors of foreign governments and non-governmental organizations.
“False diagnosis always leads to wrong treatment – this is war,” Ayatu said for decades, the herdsmen launched unprovoked attacks against the almost vulnerable TIV and Idoma people.
While not visiting the discarded Yelwata people, Tinubu told security officials at the Benue Government House in Makurdi to “drove these criminals out.”
“Why wasn’t the arrest done?” Tinubu asked inspector Kayode Egbetokun, according to Truthnigeria. “I think there should be arrests for these criminals.”
Tinubu demanded that military leaders and Intelligence Journal leaders coordinate decisive efforts to curb violence.
“Christopher (Chief of the defense staff), you can’t get tired of staying in the bushes,” Tinubu said. “Oloyede, Air Marshal, DG NIA, DG SSS – Retool the information channels to bring concrete intelligence. Get those criminals.”
Peptalk was a small comfort to Elwata survivors. There, most women and children were killed by Christian Solidarity (CSW) from June 13-14 by Christian Solidarity (CSW), an advocacy group called “Fulani Militia.”
“Some reports indicate that the final death toll could be around 200,” a CSW news statement read. “CSW sources report that terrorists first targeted the Yelewata mission site protecting more than 400 internal displaced people (IDPs) around 10pm on June 13, but were repelled by military personnel.
The raiders chanted the jihadist slogan “Arahu Akbar (God is bigger)” in the attack following days of terrorist violence in Guma County, where Elwata is located.
“On June 8, two farmers were killed and the third was seriously injured when they were fired while working in the Udei field at Nyiev Council Ward,” CSW said. “On June 11, two people were killed in a machete attack at TSE Ivokor in Unongu, and the next day, five were ambushed on the farmland of Dodu as they were searching for the bodies of those killed in the previous day’s attack.”
Four searchers were also killed in Dawdu on June 13th, killing five others, and eight others were injured in an attack on the Akonduto community on the north shore of nearby Makurdi County, according to CSW.
From April 1 to June 1, 270 people reportedly died in Benue, with the Benue NGOS Network saying that since 2011, more than 5,700 lives have been lost to the state’s terrorist violence, with over 150,000 people displaced, CSW said. It added that more than 6,500 people were reportedly exiled in a wave of violence in June.
In light of the Yelwata massacre, the US Committee on Freedom of Religion (USCIRF) has called for the US Department of State to designate specific countries of concern (CPCs) to allow or promote violations of their religious rights.
“The abominable violence in Nigeria’s mid-way belt and the systematic, ongoing, and terrible attacks on Christians and Muslims across Nigeria show that government prevention efforts have failed and do not protect vulnerable religious communities,” said Chair Vicki Hertzler. “The US government’s foreign support for Nigeria needs to efficiently and effectively support efforts to protect religious freedom.”
Commissioner Mohamed Erzanousi said further efforts are needed to maintain freedom of religion and belief among all Nigerians.
“The US government needs to use foreign aid to address conflict resolution and to better protect vulnerable religious communities,” Elsanusi said.
The suspect herdsmen in the Yelwata attack came from different directions at the same time and shot them sporadically, the resident told the Associated Press. They also destroyed a year’s worth of staple food, he said.
The attackers targeted the displaced people and slept with people who tried to escape, setting the building on fire when they attacked, according to Catholic charity assistance to a needy church.
“The IDP families were reused as temporary accommodation in the market square of Eleuta, in the Guma Local Government area near Makurdi, when extremists attacked, and shouted “Arafu Akbar” before slaying people freely,” the ACN report said. “Local clergyman said that police fought off the attackers when they tried to attack St. Joseph’s Church in Elewata, where up to 700 IDPs are sleeping, in the same evening. However, extremists were created in the town’s market square.
With millions of figures in Nigeria and Sahel, Fulani, primarily Muslim, constitute hundreds of clans of many different lines that do not hold the views of extremists, while some Fulani adhere to radical Islamist ideology, all party parliamentary groups (Appgs) in the UK for international freedom or beliefs.
“They are clearly intent to adopt a comparable strategy for Boko Haram and Iswap and target strong symbols of Christian and Christian identity,” the AppG report said.
Nigerian Christian leaders say they believe herdsmen’s attacks on the Christian community in the mid-zone of Nigeria are inspired by the desire to forcefully take over Islam as it forced Christian lands and made desertification difficult to maintain the flock.
According to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, Nigeria has remained one of the most dangerous places for Christians. According to WWL, of the 4,476 Christians killed for faith around the world during the reporting period, 3,100 (69%) were in Nigeria.
“The scale of anti-Christian violence in this country is already at the highest possible level under the global watch list methodology,” the report states.
In the north-central zone of the country, where Christians are more common than they are in the northeast and northwest, Islamic extremist Fulani militias attack farm communities, killing hundreds of Christians and, above all, hundreds of Christians. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State (ISWAP) of West African states are also active in northern states in the country where federal control is scarce and Christians and their communities continue to be targeted for attacks, sexual violence and the killing of disability. Ransom aid has been increasing significantly in recent years.
The violence spreads across southern states, with new jihadist terrorist group Lakrawa appearing in the northwest, armed with sophisticated weapons and an extremist agenda, WWL noted. Lakrawa is affiliated with the expansionist al-Qaeda rebellion Jamaa Nusrat ul Islam Wa al-Muslimin, or Zinim, which is derived from Mali.
Nigeria ranked 7th in the 2025 WWL list of 50 worst countries for Christians.
