One Year After Yelewata Massacre, Community Honours 271 Slain Victims, Demands Justice

One year after the killing of 271 residents in the Yelewata massacre, survivors, families, religious leaders and political figures gathered on Saturday in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, to honour the victims and renew demands for justice and improved security.

The commemoration featured a memorial Mass and the unveiling of a cenotaph engraved with the names of those killed during the June 13–14, 2025 attack, which remains one of the deadliest incidents in the region’s recent history.

Leading the event, the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, described the anniversary as a painful reminder of lives lost and the continuing trauma experienced by the community.

“One year ago, we were here mourning and burying our brothers and sisters who were massacred between June 13 and 14. Many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

The Bishop said the memorial was not only to honour the dead but also to emphasise accountability and the protection of human life, noting that warnings had reportedly been ignored before the attack.

“We owe the victims justice,” he added.

Human rights advocate Barr. Frank Utoo, who supported the construction of the memorial wall through the US-based organisation Equipping The Persecuted, said the monument was designed to preserve the memory of the victims permanently.

“These are not statistics. These are human beings whose lives mattered,” he said, noting that children, women and entire families were among those killed.

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, described the anniversary as a painful reminder of the government’s responsibility to protect citizens, urging stronger security measures to prevent a repeat of such violence.

“This reminds us that government must do more to safeguard the lives and property of the people,” he said.

Other political figures, including Chief Mike Aondoakaa and Dr. Eunice Ortom, also called for justice, improved intelligence gathering and stronger coordination between security agencies and neighbouring states.

They noted that many families continue to live with trauma, with children growing up without parents and communities still struggling to recover from the devastating loss.

The event ended with renewed appeals for accountability, remembrance and sustained efforts to prevent future attacks.