Yelwata: Durable Solution For IDPs To Return To Their Ancestral Homes, Not Makeshift Camps – Anagbe

0

MAKURDI – Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, His Lordship Wilfred Anagbe, has stated that the only durable solution for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), particularly those of the Yelwata attack last year is for them to be returned to their ancestral homes.

Also, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Benue State, Prof Sebastine Hon, SAN, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, identified and prayed with victims of the Yelwata attack.

The trio prayed for the repose of the souls of those that were killed in the 13th June, 2025 attack on Yelewata, during the unveiling of the memorial monument to commemorate the one year anniversary of the massacre of 276 persons in the community.

The absence of government functionaries was conspicuous at the event.

The SDP governorship candidate in the state, Prof Sebastine Hon, who urged governments at all levels to prevent a future occurrence of such attacks, prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims of the attack as well as for the healing of those that were maimed during the incident.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Catholic Bishop, Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, insisted that the only durable solution is to return Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.

He challenged the Federal and State governments to make it a duty to resettle the IDPs, to their ancestral homes rather than resort to makeshift IDP camps.

The Bishop who kicked against resettling the IDPs outside their ancestral homes, observed that the killing of the Yelwata victims was “well-planned.”

According to Anagbe, “This (killings in Yelwata) is no longer about climate change or skirmishes. It is genocide”, adding that the persecution of Christians in the region had reached an unprecedented level.

Decrying the attack that occurred on the community that is situated on the Lafia/Makurdi highway,
which lasted for several hours, Bishop Anagbe, noted that despite the location of the community, their assailants operated for hours unhindered.

Giving an account of the attack, the Bishop pointed out that one year later, the grief remains fresh in the minds of families of the victims who lost their lives to the attack.

He also used the moment to commend, Franc Utoo, Esq., for his role in raising a memorial for victims of the attack; VeryDarkMan for visiting the scene, and Pope Leo for his prayers as well as Amnesty International for calling on the Nigerian government to end the killings.

In his comments, Senator Abba Moro, Benue South senatorial district, said the day set aside, was not just for mourning but also a reminder of the failure of systems to protect citizens.

Moro said, “Yelewata is on the international map for the wrong reason. Walking around the problem is not a solution. If it is not genocide, then what is it?” he queried.

After the Holy Mass, a 22-foot cenotaph, bearing the names of the 276 victims that were massacred, with the inscription: “Yelewata Genocide Memorial Wall
(Victims of Armed Fulani Attack)
June 13–14, 2025”

Wailing and weeping pervaded the atmosphere over the loss of loved ones, as the monument was blessed and prayers offered for dead.