Photo Credits: OSV News photo/Afolabi Sotunde, Reuters

Nigeria continues to face a severe genocidal crisis, particularly targeting Christians and moderate Muslims in the Northeast, Northwest, and Middle Belt regions. Islamist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), and Fulani jihadists are responsible for systematic violence. Despite overwhelming evidence of genocidal acts, both the Nigerian government and key international actors remain in denial, avoiding the legal and moral responsibilities that acknowledgment would require.

Latest Developments

Overnight June 13–14, 2025, Fulani militants forced their way into Yelwata, a predominantly Catholic village near Makurdi, Benue State, destroying homes and burning people alive. Sources vary, but the death toll ranges from 100 (Amnesty International) to over 200 (local church contacts and U.S.-registered media). Victims included infants, toddlers, the elderly, and internally displaced persons housed at a Catholic mission.

International Response and Pope Leo XIV

The massacre in Yelwata has drawn swift condemnation both from within Nigeria and the global community. Pope Leo XIV, addressing the tragedy from the Vatican, described the events as a “terrible massacre,” expressing deep sorrow for the Christian communities repeatedly targeted by such violence. He called for urgent peace in the rural heartlands of Nigeria, where Catholic and other Christian populations face unrelenting attacks. His words echoed a broader sense of moral outrage reverberating across religious and human rights organizations.

Amnesty International has publicly demanded that Nigerian authorities take immediate and decisive action to stop the bloodshed in Benue State, which has become an epicentre of violence. The organization stressed the need for accountability, urging the government to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the atrocities — a call echoed by activists and church leaders on the ground.

The advocacy group Save the Persecuted Christians also weighed in forcefully, denouncing the massacre as an unmistakable act of genocide.* Drawing on direct testimonies from the Diocese of Makurdi, they highlighted not only the scale of the killings but the deliberate targeting of Christian communities — a campaign of terror that seeks to erase entire populations under the cover of ethnic and religious tension.

Despite these calls, many fear that international pressure may once again fall short, as past appeals have too often been met with silence or inaction. Yet, the Church and human rights defenders remain resolute, continuing to amplify the voices of the victims and demand justice in the face of impunity.

* Save the Persecuted Christians added in their June 14 X post: “This is Genocide.”