Nigeria’s Benue State became the site of an unimaginable atrocity as Islamist militants massacred over 200 Christians in a nighttime raid on a displacement camp. Survivors report attackers shouting “Allahu Akbar” while methodically killing refugees who had already fled previous violence, marking what church officials are calling the deadliest single attack on Christians in the region’s bloody history.
The June 13, 2025 massacre targeted internally displaced Christians sleeping in shelters in Yelewata, where approximately 500 people had sought refuge from earlier attacks. Armed militants stormed the camp under cover of darkness, using machetes and firearms while setting buildings ablaze, trapping many families inside their burning homes. Local priest Father Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee narrowly escaped death and witnessed the carnage firsthand, describing scenes of “extraordinary cruelty” that have shocked the global Christian community and drawn condemnation from Pope Leo XIV. Nigerian authorities face mounting criticism for their delayed response to the attack, which represents just the latest chapter in escalating religious violence that has claimed nearly 10,000 Christian lives in the country over the past two years.
Brutal Night Attack Targets Displaced Christians
The horror began when armed Fulani militants descended upon the displacement camp in Yelewata, Benue State, targeting Christians who had already fled violence elsewhere. Approximately 500 people were sleeping in the makeshift shelters when the attackers struck, shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they methodically killed defenseless victims with machetes and firearms.
Father Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee, who survived the attack, provided a harrowing firsthand account of the massacre. “What I saw was truly gruesome. People were slaughtered. Corpses were scattered everywhere,” he reported to church officials documenting the violence.
The heartbreaking story from Benue state is an unimaginable sorrow.
We condole with the people of Benue state and join all Nigerians to condemn the violence, and urge the Nigerian government at all levels to take meaningful steps to ensure the safety of all it's citizens. pic.twitter.com/h2Dz5961m6
— Step Up Nigeria (@Step_Up_Nigeria) June 17, 2025
The militants initially targeted St. Joseph’s Church but were temporarily repelled by local law enforcement before redirecting their assault to the market square where many displaced Christians had sought shelter. Amnesty International Nigeria confirmed that numerous families were locked inside their homes before the attackers set the buildings on fire, creating scenes of unimaginable terror as victims had no escape route.
Initial reports indicated approximately 100 casualties, but as recovery efforts continued throughout the following day, the death toll climbed to at least 200. The Diocese of Makurdi Foundation for Justice, Development, and Peace has officially confirmed this figure, making it the deadliest single attack on Christians in the region’s history.
Religious Persecution and Government Inaction
The massacre in Yelewata represents just the latest chapter in what many church leaders describe as a systematic campaign to eliminate Christians from the region. This attack follows a series of similar incidents during Lent and Holy Week earlier this year, when over 170 Christians were killed in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region by suspected Fulani militants.
Global Christian Relief, an international watchdog organization monitoring religious persecution, reports that nearly 10,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed by Islamic extremists from November 2022 to November 2024. The staggering death toll has raised serious questions about the Nigerian government’s commitment to protecting religious minorities and addressing the root causes of sectarian violence.
At least 150 people were killed by gunmen in Yelewata village in Nigeria's Benue state, a region known for conflicts between farmers and herders. Villagers are still digging through burned homes, counting the dead, and searching for dozens still missing. pic.twitter.com/fJFtcEXx8G
— DW News (@dwnews) June 17, 2025
Critics have pointed to a pattern of delayed or inadequate responses by Nigerian security forces during attacks on Christian communities. In the Yelewata massacre, survivors reported that military personnel arrived hours after the attackers had already fled, despite prior warnings about security threats in the area.
The persistent violence has created a refugee crisis within Nigeria, with more than two million Christians forced to flee their homes in recent years. Many of those killed in the June 13 attack were already internally displaced persons who had sought refuge in Yelewata after being driven from their original communities by similar violence.
International Response and Calls for Action
Pope Leo XIV has condemned the massacre in strong terms, highlighting the particular vulnerability of the victims as refugees who had already been displaced by violence. “Some 200 people were murdered, with extraordinary cruelty,” the pontiff stated, calling for increased security, peace, and justice for Nigeria’s persecuted Christian communities.
Father Angbianbee’s testimony provides crucial details about the identity and motives of the attackers. “There is no question about who carried out the attack. They were definitely Fulanis. They were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,'” he stated, reinforcing concerns about the religious motivation behind the violence.
“Militants stormed in, shouting ‘Allahu Akhbar’ (‘God is great’), before killing people at will”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an international Catholic charity, has launched an emergency response to provide humanitarian assistance to survivors. The organization is also documenting testimonies from witnesses to ensure the attacks are properly investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.
Despite the scale of the violence, international media coverage has been criticized as insufficient given the severity of the crisis. Religious freedom advocates point to what they describe as a “hierarchy of victimhood” in global reporting, suggesting that attacks on Christians receive less attention than other humanitarian crises.
The ongoing persecution has prompted calls for the United States and European nations to reconsider foreign aid policies toward Nigeria, potentially conditioning assistance on concrete steps to protect religious minorities. Human rights organizations are urging the international community to recognize the systematic nature of the violence against Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and to classify the situation as religious persecution rather than merely tribal or land-based conflicts.
In the wake of the massacre, local church leaders remain resolute despite facing enormous challenges. “When we heard the shots and saw the militants, we committed our lives to God. This morning, I thank God I am alive,” Father Angbianbee reflected, capturing the faith that sustains many Nigerian Christians even in the face of relentless violence.
The attack in Yelewata stands as a stark reminder of the ongoing religious persecution that continues largely unnoticed by the international community. As burial services began for the victims, church leaders renewed calls for greater protection and justice, vowing that the faithful would not be driven from their homeland despite the enormous price they continue to pay for their religious beliefs.
Sources:
Up to 200 displaced Nigerian Christians killed in ‘worst’ attack yet | Catholic News Agency
200 Christians Killed by Attackers Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ in Overnight Massacre