Memorial Mass Unveils Monument to Honor Christian Martyrs of Yelewata
Missionary and Patron Judd Saul Demands New Security Measures
By Ekani Olikita and Mike Odeh James
(Makurdi) — One year after Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) killed 271 people in Yelewata, survivors say they still cannot reach their farms and live in daily fear.
The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi marked the anniversary with a memorial Mass on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at a monument bearing the names of all 271 victims.
The predominantly Christian farming community is in Benue State, in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt.
On the night of June 13–14, 2025, heavily armed Fulani terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar” and speaking Fulfulde stormed Yelwata house by house. They killed 271 people, including children, nursing mothers and displaced persons who had earlier fled violence in neighboring villages. Many were burned to death. The killings rank among the deadliest single attacks in recent Nigerian history and drew condemnation from religious-freedom advocates in Washington and London
American Missionary Calls for Accountability
The monument was funded by American missionary Judd Saul, Executive Director and Founder of Equipping The Persecuted (ETP). Assisting Saul was Oklahoma-based attorney and Yelewata native Barrister Franc Utoo, an administrator of ETP.
At the commissioning on Friday, June 12, Saul urged Nigerian authorities to implement safeguards to prevent another mass atrocity, saying his organization had warned of the threat beforehand.
“A week before the massacre, our organization informed Nigerian government authorities of impending attacks. Twenty-four hours before the attack, we again shared intelligence, but no proactive measures were taken,” Saul said. “The Nigerian government must ensure that such killings never happen again.”
‘Our Killers Are Still Around Us’
Despite standing up the memorial, residents say they still lack safety.
Speaking during the monument’s commissioning on Friday, June 12, Yelewata youth leader Andy Nomsoor thanked the project’s sponsors but said the community remains vulnerable.
“The Fulani terrorists who murdered our people during the massacre are still around us. We cannot access our farms one kilometer away for fear of being killed,” Nomsoor told TruthNigeria. “The killing of our people is still going on, though at a lower rate. More than 50 people have been killed since the 2025 massacre. We need protection.”
The figure of more than 50 deaths since the attack is the community’s own count and could not be independently verified by TruthNigeria.
Tribute Given by American Expat
“June 12, 2026 will forever stand as a sacred and painful marker in the history of Yelewata,” said Barrister Utoo.
“It marks the eve of one year since one of the deadliest massacres of Christians in the world—when Fulani jihadists descended on our community and, in just four brutal hours, took the lives of 271 of our people in unimaginable cruelty,” he went on to say.
“But this year, we did not gather in silence. We stood in remembrance—and in defiance.
“My team from the United States, Equipping The Persecuted, led by our Executive Director, Judd Saul, and Advocacy Director, Kyle Abts, arrived in Yelewata and were graciously received by His Lordship, Bishop Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese, alongside the Tyoor Nyiev, His Highness Bernard Shawa.
“Together, we witnessed something powerful: the unveiling of a state-of-the-art genocide memorial, alongside the distribution of relief to survivors of these relentless terrorist attacks.
“The Yelewata Memorial Monument is deeply personal to me. It was born out of grief, but also out of duty—the duty to ensure that every life taken here is remembered, named, and honored. I carried this vision to our organization, Equipping The Persecuted, a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit committed to defending persecuted believers.
“As a son of this land, as an advocate for human dignity, and as a servant of the persecuted Church, I made a promise in the aftermath of that massacre: that Yelewata would not be erased, that our dead would not be forgotten, and that those who orchestrate and fund these acts of genocide would never be allowed to hide behind denial and deception.
“This monument is also a message.
“To those who seek to destroy us: you may burn our homes, but you will never burn our memory. You may spill our blood, but you will never erase who we are. You may try to silence us, but our testimony will outlive your violence.
Another resident, Livinus Felix, said the attack left lasting trauma.
“Many families are still broken. Some children lost both parents, while others lost their homes and livelihoods,” Felix said. “We are trying to rebuild, but fear remains part of everyday life.”
A third resident, Mrs. Veronica Aondohemba, who lost two members of her family, said many survivors remain economically displaced even when physically present in the community.
“I lost two members of my family. Apart from the trauma, we can’t go to our farms, which are our sources of food and income, because of fear,” Aondohemba said. “We thank God for preserving our lives, but we need security so that we can live and work without fear.”
Bishop Anagbe: Victims Deserve Justice
Leading the memorial Mass on Saturday, the outspoken Bishop of Makurdi Catholic Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, condemned the killings and called for justice.
“The taking of human life remains a grave crime against God and humanity. The Fulani terrorists responsible for these atrocities must not be allowed to move freely without being brought to justice,” Anagbe said.
Speaking a day earlier during the commissioning, Anagbe criticized proposals to permanently relocate displaced residents, insisting affected families should be able to return safely to their ancestral communities.
“Resettlement means relocating the internally displaced persons to other locations. What happens to their ancestral homes now under Fulani terrorist occupation — will they forfeit them?” Anagbe asked.
Retired Capt. Oryinah Bature, a security analyst and managing director of Beacon Consulting, said lasting peace will require more than military deployments.
“Communities need sustained protection, intelligence-driven operations and accountability for perpetrators,” Bature said. “Without addressing the conditions that allow armed groups to operate, affected populations will continue to feel unsafe even after major attacks have passed.”
The anniversary comes amid rising international scrutiny. The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa has linked armed Fulani Militia to nearly 24,000 civilian deaths over a four-year period.
A May 2026 report by the U.S. The Commission on International Religious Freedom identified Fulani militia violence as a major driver of religious-freedom violations, displacement and civilian casualties.
Ekani Olikita and Mike Odeh James are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
