Islamic militants shouting “Allahu Akbar” massacred over 200 Christians at a refugee camp in Nigeria’s Benue State, marking the deadliest attack yet in the region’s escalating religious violence. The June 13, 2025 overnight slaughter targeted displaced Christians seeking shelter, with attackers wielding machetes and setting buildings ablaze while most victims slept, leaving behind a scene described by witnesses as “truly gruesome” with corpses scattered throughout the Yelewata community.

Deadliest Attack Against Christians in Nigeria’s Recent History

What began as a night like any other in Yelewata, Benue State, quickly descended into horror as Islamic Fulani militants launched a coordinated attack against a settlement housing internally displaced Christians. Approximately 500 people were sleeping in makeshift shelters when the heavily armed attackers stormed the area around midnight, initially attempting to target St. Joseph’s Church before being temporarily repelled by local law enforcement.

Father Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee, a local priest who narrowly escaped the massacre, provided a harrowing firsthand account of the brutality. “What I saw was truly gruesome,” he recounted to aid organizations documenting the attack. “People were slaughtered. Corpses were scattered everywhere.”

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 Diocese of Makurdi Foundation for Justice, Development, and Peace confirmed that the death toll reached 200, making this the deadliest single atrocity in the region’s recent history. Initial reports had estimated around 100 casualties, but as rescue workers and officials gained full access to the scene, the true scale of the devastation became apparent. Many families were reportedly locked inside their homes and burned alive, according to documentation from Amnesty International Nigeria.

Nigerian security forces have faced substantial criticism for their delayed response to the attack, which continued for hours before adequate reinforcements arrived. The militants, after being initially repelled from the church, regrouped and targeted the market square area where most of the displaced families had established temporary shelters. “When we heard the shots and saw the militants, we committed our lives to God,” Father Angbianbee said. “This morning, I thank God I am alive.”

Pattern of Escalating Violence Against Christian Communities

This massacre represents the latest in a disturbing pattern of violence against Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. Earlier this year, during Lent and Holy Week, attacks by Fulani herdsmen resulted in over 170 Christian deaths in the same region. The current attack comes just months after other raids displaced more than 5,000 people from surrounding communities.

Church leaders in the region have expressed mounting concerns that these attacks represent a coordinated campaign to eliminate Christians from the area entirely. “There is no question about who carried out the attack,” Father Angbianbee stated definitively. “They were definitely Fulanis. They were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.'”

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

The victims of this latest attack were already internally displaced persons who had fled previous violence in their home communities. This double victimization highlights the increasingly desperate situation for Christian minorities in certain parts of Nigeria. Many of the displaced had been living in the Yelewata community for months or even years, having lost their original homes to earlier attacks by the same militant groups.

Global Christian Relief, an international organization monitoring religious persecution, reports that nearly 10,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed by Islamic extremists between November 2022 and November 2024 alone. These statistics underscore the systematic nature of the violence and the apparent failure of government forces to provide adequate protection to vulnerable religious minorities.

International Response and Calls for Action

Pope Leo XIV has condemned the attack in the strongest terms, using his platform to draw international attention to the plight of Nigerian Christians. During his public address following the massacre, the pontiff stated, “Some 200 people were murdered, with extraordinary cruelty.” He emphasized that the victims were internal refugees already displaced by previous violence, further highlighting the compounded tragedy of their situation.

The Pope called for security, peace, and justice in Nigeria, urging the international community not to ignore what many observers are describing as a slow-motion genocide against Christians in the country’s Middle Belt. His message resonated with religious freedom advocates worldwide who have long criticized the lack of adequate international response to the systematic targeting of Christian communities in Nigeria.

“Militants stormed in, shouting ‘Allahu Akhbar’ (‘God is great’), before killing people at will,” reported Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic charity organization with longstanding presence in Nigeria. The organization has been documenting the escalating violence and providing assistance to survivors and displaced communities throughout the region.

Conservative lawmakers in the United States have begun calling for a stronger response from the Biden administration, including potential sanctions against Nigerian officials who fail to protect religious minorities. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas issued a statement condemning the attack and calling for immediate action: “The systematic slaughter of Christians in Nigeria cannot be ignored any longer. We need concrete action, not just words of sympathy.”

Several international human rights organizations have joined the chorus of voices demanding accountability and increased protection for vulnerable Christian communities. Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into the massacre, while International Christian Concern has urged world leaders to recognize the religious dimension of the violence rather than dismissing it merely as ethnic or resource-based conflict.

The Nigerian federal government issued a statement promising to bring the perpetrators to justice, but many local Christian leaders remain skeptical. Previous promises of protection and justice have yielded few results, with most attacks going unpunished. Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi expressed his frustration: “We have been raising alarms about these attacks for years, but nothing substantial has been done to protect our communities.”

As burial ceremonies begin for the victims, the survivors face an uncertain future. Many have now been displaced multiple times and have lost family members, homes, and livelihoods to the ongoing violence. Relief organizations are struggling to provide adequate assistance given the scale of the disaster and the continuing security concerns in the region.

For Americans watching these events unfold from afar, the massacre highlights the fragility of religious freedom in many parts of the world and serves as a sobering reminder of the persecution faced by fellow Christians. Conservative faith leaders across the United States have organized prayer vigils and fundraising efforts to support the survivors and draw attention to their plight.

The tragedy in Benue State represents more than just another incident of violence in a troubled region. It stands as a stark illustration of the growing threat to religious liberty worldwide and the devastating human cost when governments fail to protect their most vulnerable citizens. As one local pastor told reporters at the scene, “Today we bury our brothers and sisters, but tomorrow we must continue to stand firm in our faith. The darkness cannot overcome the light.”

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