100 die, 6,500 displaced for di afta effects of Benue attack - wetin Pope Leo tell Nigeria goment

BBC News

4 days ago

Di National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) for Nigeria don release dia first report about di recent attack wey happun for Yelewata community, for Guma Local goment Area of Benue State, North central Nigeria.
Dis recent attacks, according to Nema bin happun for di early hours of Saturday, 14 June, 2025.
Nema say dia early investigation show say more dan 100 pipo kpai for di attack including two sojas and one officer of di Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Di number of pipo wey die fit still go up as di agency say di current figures still dey inconsistent sake of di volatile security situation and limited access to di affected areas.
"Dozens of pipo sustain injuries, and 46 individuals bin dey rushed to hospitals. Sadly, 20 of dem later die for hospital sake of di injuries wey dem sustain," di Nema statement read.
Di agency also say police bin kill some of di attackers as dem dey exchange gunfire, but dem no talk how many of di attackers wey police kill.
As e be now, more dan 6,527 pipo don run comot for dia house and dem dey take shelter for Internally Displaced People Camps.
Dis include "1,768 females; 759 males; 657 children under 18 years; 1,870 adults above 18; 252 lactating mothers; 82 pregnant women; and 91 elderly persons".
According to Nema, hospitals for Makurdi dey call for urgent blood donations for di pipo wey wunjure for di attack, and also for humanitarian support for di pipo wey dey IDP camps.
Also, di head of di Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, don chook mouth for di killings wey dey go on for Benue State - e describe di situation as a "terrible massacre".
Pope Leo tok dis one for im Sunday Angelus wit di Catholic faithful for di St Peter's Basilica, and e pray for "security, justice, and peace".
E say: "On di night of 13/14 of June, for town of Yelwata for di Guma Local Goment Area of Benue State in Nigeria, a terrible massacre bin happen wia more dan 200 pipo bin dey killed in a cruel manner. Most of dem na Internally Displaced Persons hosted by di local Catholic mission.
"I pray say peace, security, and justice go prevail for Nigeria, a beloved kontri wey dey affected by various forms of violence."
Remember say di late Pope Francis bin pray regularly for security and peace to reign for Nigeria.
Di first time na on 15 August 2020, afta di Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria release a statement about di rising insecurity for northern Nigeria. Di second one na for June 2022 afta gunmen attack one Catholic Church for Owo, Ondo State and kpai plenty pipo including children.
Goment to set up panel to investigate
Di govnor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, tell tori pipo on Sunday say dem go set up a five-man panel wey go chook eye into dis crisis and come up wit a white paper wey di goment go implement.
"Dis white paper go help us to know who be di culprits, to know who be di sponsors, to identify di victims, and to see wia justice go dey applied," di govnor tok.
BBC Pidgin bin don report accounts of pipo wey bin dey affected for previous attacks we happen for Benue State dis year, including di tori of one woman who say di jaguda pipo bin rape her eight times bifore day break, and anoda pesin wey lose six members of im family.
For previous interview wit Channels TV, govnor Hyacinth Alia say im no believe say di attacks na farmers and herdsmen wahala. E say di killers dey specialised and dem dey fight like pipo wey dey trained for guerrilla war.
"Di way dis attacks come and di intel we receive, na direct and calibrated plan and dem go execute am. Evriday, we dey receive dis intel. Of late, each of di intel we receive, 60 to 65 per cent of dem dey quite accurate.
"And den wen you realise wetin dey go on, e dey beyond just conflict, e dey beyond just ethnic fight between herders and farmers for our state, e dey directed, e dey planned and den, dem go execute am, na terrorism."
On Sunday, President Bola Tinubu call on di govnor and oda political and community leaders for Benue State to "act responsibly and avoid statements wey fit further increase tensions and killings".