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Mr. Judd Saul, Chief Executive Officer of Equipping the Persecuted USA, on Friday, June 12, 2026, unveiled the Yelewata Genocide Memorial Monument in honour of the over 270 Christian farmers killed in coordinated attacks on June 13 and 14, 2025, in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The monument, sponsored by Equipping the Persecuted and facilitated by Franc Utoo, Esq. KofC, is designed to give the victims a name, a space, and a permanent witness in history. According to Mr. Saul, it stands as a strong message to Nigeria and the world that the killings were acts of Christian persecution and that such violence must never happen again.
Mr. Saul and his team were received by Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi. The Bishop, who has been vocal in his opposition to the government’s resettlement plan, emphasized that the only durable solution is for the displaced people to return to their ancestral homes. He questioned what becomes of their lands if they are resettled elsewhere and commended Equipping the Persecuted for standing with persecuted Christians.
Bishop Anagbe will lead a team of bishops, priests, and pastors in a memorial Mass/service at the monument on Saturday, June 13, 2026, to mark the first anniversary of the massacre.
Mr. Utoo described the monument as a way of ensuring that future generations know what happened to real people in this place and that it must never be repeated.
