Pope Leo decries attacks, killings in Benue, calls for peace

Pope Leo XIV, the Roman Catholic pope, has led prayers for the victims of the slaughter of innocent people, especially in rural Christian communities in Benue State, Nigeria, by alleged 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.

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Pope Leo prays for the victims of a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria.

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”

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”.

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“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”.

“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”.

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Meanwhile, in recent events, Police officers have been reported to have fired tear gas shots at protesters seeking justice and calling for immediate government action to put an end to the bloodshed in the state.