The Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, His Lordship, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, on Saturday led a remembrance Mass in Yelewata community in honour of the 271 victims of the June 13, 2025 massacre, exactly one year after the deadly attack.

The memorial Thanksgiving Mass drew survivors, relatives of victims, community leaders, political leaders, and sympathisers who gathered to pray for the dead and dedicate a genocide memorial monument erected in their honour.

The victims were killed when terrorists suspected to be herdsmen militia invaded Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, leaving behind one of the worst mass killings in the history of Benue State.

The attack, according to current available records, claimed the lives of 67 children, 83 women and 122 men.

Reflecting on the tragedy during the Mass, Bishop Anagbe recalled the painful experience of burying victims whose bodies had been burnt beyond recognition.

He said, “We are gathered here today on this ground, here in Yelewata. One year ago, we were mourning, I would say, scooping the corpses of our brothers and sisters who were massacred on the 13th and 14th of June. What was buried were charred bodies, charcoal. Many of them were burnt beyond recognition. We did that in tears, and we came back this year, exactly one year after, to celebrate this Mass of remembrance.”

The bishop said the remembrance was not meant to erase the painful memories but to honour the victims and pray for the repose of their souls.

“It is not for us to forget, but to pray for the repose of the souls of these innocent 271 persons that were brutally and crudely murdered and roasted here in Yelewata. May God grant them eternal rest and may God forgive those who perpetrated this act.”

Bishop Anagbe further alleged that warnings had been given before the attack but were ignored, insisting that the massacre could have been prevented had authorities not paid heed to the early warnings.

According to him: “The Federal Government of Nigeria was informed that this was going to happen and they paid deaf ears. 30 days before it happened, three weeks to the time, two weeks, one week before it took place, two days before it happened, the Federal Government of Nigeria was informed that this was going to happen but they paid deaf ears to it. That was why this could not be averted.

“So, it was a completely systematic, organised and assisted massacre of innocent citizens, which classifies it as genocide.”

After the Mass, Bishop Anagbe blessed and dedicated the Yelewata Genocide Memorial Monument bearing the names of the victims.

He described the monument, christened “A Monument of Blood, Faith and Resolve,” as a lasting reminder of the lives lost and the need to preserve their memory.

Our correspondent reports that Barr. Frank Utoo, an indigene of Yelewata, founded the initiative, saying the monument was conceived to ensure the victims are never forgotten and to draw attention to the plight of persecuted communities.

Utoo, an international human rights advocate, recalled that: “On 13th June last year, Islamist terrorists invaded my village of Yelewata and within a four-hour window left 271 people dead. These are not just statistics or expendables. These are names of our relatives, and we promised ourselves that they would never be forgotten.”

Utoo explained that the initiative was supported by Equipping the Persecuted (ETP), a United States-based non-profit organisation, and described the monument as a symbol of truth, justice, hope and remembrance.

“And so we came up with the idea of the monument. I told my organisation in the United States, Equipping the Persecuted (ETP), the most prominent American non-profit that is standing in the bridge for persecuted Christians in Nigeria.

“And my executive director, Judd Saul, graciously granted that request to put up a monument for our persecuted brethren in Yelewata.

“On this monument are the 271 names of our brothers, sisters, fathers and children engraved. Each name tells a story. The Yelewata monument stands for truth, justice, hope and for memory. It stands as a declaration that genocide must never have the last word here.”

Also speaking, the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the 2027 general elections, Chief Mike Aondoakaa, described the massacre as genocide and a grave crime against innocent people.

He said: “This is not just killing, but genocide committed on the soil of Benue State. The perpetrators ought to have faced war crimes charges in The Hague because this is a pure war crime where innocent and unarmed people were maimed and killed while sleeping.”

Aondoakaa promised that security would remain his top priority if elected governor of the state, pledging to establish a Benue Security Trust Fund, strengthen intelligence gathering, improve collaboration with neighbouring states of Nasarawa and Taraba, and enforce the state’s anti-open grazing law.

He also advocated the return of displaced persons to their ancestral communities through government-supported mechanised farming schemes, farmhouses and improved security arrangements.

The PDP senatorial candidate for the 2027 elections, Mrs Eunice Ortom, described the massacre as heartbreaking and called on government to move beyond rhetoric and make concrete, proactive efforts to protect lives and property.

She said: “It is a wake-up call for the government to take up its key responsibility, which is to protect lives and property. We all deserve to be alive. It is unfortunate that we lost children, women and men who were heads of families. The loss this community has experienced is a loss to all of us, and we pray that it will not happen again.”

Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, also described the anniversary as a painful reminder of the government’s failure to protect its citizens.

He said, “Today is a sad day, especially for the people of Yelewata. A very sad reminder of our inability to protect our citizens and their lives and property of our citizens.”

Moro said the memorial should serve as a moment of reflection for leaders, lamenting that politicians were already focused on future elections while insecurity continued to claim lives.

“Quite frankly, I think that as a government, we have failed in our responsibility and obligation to the people who support us. We are very busy gallivanting from pillar to post seeking votes, leaving the essence of governance to the dust. This is the time we should be thinking about saving the lives of our people.”

The senator commended Barr. Utoo for drawing international attention to the Yelewata tragedy and expressed hope that such a massacre would never occur again.

The Mass was marked by sombre faces of family members who lost their loved ones and schoolchildren mourning their mates and friends, as shown on their placards with inscriptions such as: “9 Desks are Empty Forever. Rest in Peace our Dears.” (The Sun)

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