… Says Nigerian government, world powers insensitive to the killings
Some 200 people, most of them Christians, were brutally massacred last Friday in a nighttime assault on displaced civilians sheltering in a Church compound in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The scale and brutality of the attack, which occurred under the cover of darkness, have sparked global condemnation and widespread mourning.
In a statement released Monday on his X handle, Joseph Strickland, former Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, denounced the killings as a “targeted massacre” of defenceless people. He said the victims were unarmed, displaced civilians who had turned to the Church for refuge amid ongoing violence in the region. “They were murdered while under the shelter of the Church,” he said.
Bishop Strickland’s words echoed and amplified those of Pope Leo XIV, who addressed the tragedy during his Angelus on Sunday at the Vatican. The Pope lamented the deaths and prayed for the victims, condemning the attack as a “heinous act of evil”.
Read also: Obi to Tinubu: Visit Niger flood victims, not just Benue; all lives matter
Strickland, in solidarity with the Holy Father, called on the Church and the world not to remain silent. “We cannot look away. We cannot remain silent”. he declared.
The bishop did not shy away from holding the Nigerian government accountable, accusing it of failing in its “sacred duty” to protect innocent lives. “Justice delayed is justice denied. When Christians are slaughtered in their hundreds with impunity, it is not only a failure of governance, it is a scandal before Heaven”.
He also directed criticism at Western governments, urging them to open their eyes to what he called “ongoing persecution”.
According to Strickland, Christian blood “is being spilt in Nigeria with alarming regularity and yet, the world’s conscience remains dormant.” He warned that silence from the international community emboldens those who commit such atrocities.
Read also: Killings: Tinubu to visit Benue Wednesday amid rising tensions
Bishop Strickland closed his message with prayers and a call to action. “The Body of Christ is one. When one member suffers, all suffer,” he wrote, encouraging prayer, fasting, and advocacy. He added, “May justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
BusinessDay reported that in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, the killings triggered immediate protests. Hundreds of residents took to the streets, demanding justice and greater security. Many carried signs that read “Enough is Enough” and “Protect Us or Resign,” blaming both local and federal authorities for their failure to curb repeated attacks on vulnerable communities.
In response to mounting pressure, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to visit Makurdi on Wednesday. The visit, confirmed by the presidency, comes amid rising national and international calls for decisive government action and accountability. It will be Tinubu’s first visit to the scene since the massacre.
