Pope Leo on Sunday offered prayers for the victims of what he described as a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria.

Over 200 people were reportedly brutally killed in the Yelewata community of Guma Local Government Area in one of the latest incidents of herdsmen attacks in the state.

Speaking during his Sunday Angelus prayer, the pontiff said most of the victims were internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had sought shelter at a local Catholic mission in the area, making the attack even more horrifying.

“I am praying for security, justice, and peace in Nigeria,” Pope Leo said from St. Peter’s Square.

“In a special way, I am thinking of the rural Christian communities of Benue State, who have been relentless victims of violence.”

Following the rampant killings in Benue State and other parts of the country, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has accused both the Federal and the Benue State governments of failing in their primary responsibility to protect lives and ensure public safety.

In a statement signed by Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri, the bishops expressed ‘heavy hearts and deep anguish’ over what they described as ‘utterly barbaric’ attacks on defenceless communities in Benue.

According to the statement, the cold-blooded attacks on defenceless communities where countless have been slaughtered, homes destroyed, and families left in anguish, are an affront to God, a stain on our shared humanity, and a terrifying reminder of the utter breakdown of security in our land.

It said no matter how well a government pays salaries or builds roads, its failure to protect human lives renders its achievements hollow, adding that the sanctity of human life is supreme.

The group called for immediate and decisive action from both state and federal authorities to restore peace, apprehend the perpetrators, and ensure justice for victims.

According to the bishops, “Any government that fails to make the safety and protection of its citizens and their property its foremost priority abdicates its fundamental responsibility and moral legitimacy.”

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