“It was horrible”: Catholic Priest in Nigeria Recounts June 13 Deadly Attack in Benue State, Appeals for Security Action

Makurdi, 07 July, 2025 / 8:04 PM

Three weeks after the deadly attack on the community of St. Joseph’s Yelwata Catholic Parish of Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria’s Benue State, the Parish Priest, Fr. Jonathan Ukum, has described the events of the day, describing them as “horrible”.

In an interview with ACI Africa on July 4 on the sidelines of a memorial Mass held for the repose of the soul of the 200 parishioners killed during the June 13 attack, Fr. Ukum shared eyewitness accounts of the day and called on Nigerian authorities to take urgently address security challenges, especially in volatile border towns.

Minutes after leaving Yelwata Daily Market located along the express way some 150 meters from the Parish, “we heard concerted gunfire. (It was) serious shooting from all directions,” Fr. Ukum said, recalling the incident that international aid organizations have termed the “worst killing spree” in the Nigerian region.

The attackers came in large numbers and fired indiscriminately, he recalled, and recounted, “They came in all different sizes. It was horrible. People were pounding on the walls, marching. You could only differentiate the direction from how the bullets sounded.”

The Nigerian Catholic Priest said that the attack went on for more than two hours, adding that while the attackers seem to have targeted his parishioners, what they occasioned was a broader wave of destruction. 

“They grouped in the market square and were already burning houses. We didn’t know the magnitude of destruction until later. The entire community was caught off guard,” Fr. Ukum said.

He told ACI Africa that the psychological and spiritual toll on the inhabitants of Yelwata community has been “immense”.

Many parishioners have fled, and most outstations remain inactive, the Parish Priest lamented, and continued, “Aside from the Church here at the center, no other outstation has resumed activities. We have more than seven outstations by the roadside, stretching as far as Nassarawa and the village border; nobody goes there anymore. People are still afraid.”

He further lamented the collapse in regular parish life. He said, “Last Sunday was worse than today. It was totally empty. We used to have over 500, even 700 worshippers. Now, barely 20.”

Fr. Ukum acknowledged the presence of security personnel but stressed the need for proactive operations. “The military is here, yes. But they have to patrol, go into the bushes, and go after the criminals. If not, the entire essence of security is defeated. The people can’t go to the farm. They can’t live their normal lives,” the Catholic Priest said.

He also lamented the troubling failure in communication among security forces. “The government must give clear directives. The law banning open grazing exists. But if no one enforces it, then it’s useless. The security forces tell us they haven’t been instructed—so who’s in charge?” he posed.

Despite the devastation, Fr. Ukum expressed hope in God’s intervention. “We are afraid, yes. But we are trusting in God. We have the message of eternal hope. We must keep moving forward. We must continue the work,” he said.

The Nigerian Catholic Priest thanked those, who have shown solidarity. He said, “Continue to pray for peace, for the government, for the victims, and for all who are living in fear. We appreciate every effort made, but we also need more than sympathy; we need action.”

He appealed, “Let us not normalize this kind of violence. Let our leaders take responsibility. Let the law be enforced. Only then can we begin to heal.”

Nigeria has been experiencing insecurity since 2009, when the Boko Haram insurgency began with the aim of turning the country into an Islamic state.

Since then, the group, one of the largest Islamist groups in Africa, has been orchestrating indiscriminate terrorist attacks on various targets, including religious and political groups as well as civilians.

The insecurity situation in the country has further been complicated by the involvement of the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia.

In a separate interview, Gabriel Moses, a community leader and survivor of the attack, told ACI Africa, “We want the whole world to see what is happening. We are calling on all Christians to pray. This is not just a human problem. Only God can help us now.”

Gabriel Moses appealed for continued humanitarian support, saying, “We thank those who have sent aid, but more must be done. We need housing, food, and medical support. Our people have been tortured and traumatized. Some lost entire families in a single night.”

He also urged vigilance among residents of Yelwata, and added, “Our young men should not walk alone. They should move in groups, whether armed with cutlasses or anything for self-defense. We need to be vigilant.”

Even in our pain, Gabriel Moses clarified, the community is not seeking revenge. 

“Let those responsible be held accountable. Let the government identify the real culprits and bring them to book. We don’t want this to repeat itself,” Gabriel Moses told ACI Africa July 4.