A United States–based advocacy organisation, Truth Nigeria, has alleged that it alerted Nigerian security agencies about the attack on Yelewata village in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State weeks before the incident, but no action was taken to prevent it.
The founder of the organisation, Judd Saul, made the claim in a viral video in which he accused the Nigerian government and security operatives of negligence and complicity in what he described as the continued killing of Christians by armed groups across several states.
On June 13, 2025, armed assailants believed to be herdsmen invaded Yelewata, killing nearly 300 residents and burning several homes. The attack displaced many families and has been widely referred to as a massacre by community leaders and rights groups.
Speaking on the handling of the incident, Saul criticised the manner in which information on such attacks is reported in Nigeria. According to him, many media organisations rely heavily on government-issued statements, which influences how the public and international media perceive the situation.
> “If government officials do not call a press conference, the event might as well not exist. The narrative is shaped from the start, and the media often repeats it,” he said.
Saul explained that Truth Nigeria was established to provide independent reporting and evidence-based documentation of violence affecting Christian communities in the country.
He noted that while hundreds of people have been killed in Kaduna, Plateau, and Benue in recent weeks, many of these incidents go unreported or are downplayed.
> “Since the Yelewata attack alone, the number of Christians killed has risen to around 500, yet the media is silent,” he claimed.
Saul further revealed that Truth Nigeria had credible intelligence suggesting that an attack on Yelewata was imminent three weeks before it occurred. He said the group issued a public alert and also notified the military, police, DSS and local authorities when they received additional confirmation a day before the attackers began mobilising.
Despite these warnings, Saul lamented that there was no preventive action from the authorities.
> “There is a military base less than a kilometre from the community. While the attack was ongoing, soldiers reportedly fired warning shots into the air but did not intervene,” he said.
He insisted that the organisation will continue to document such incidents and present evidence to raise awareness globally about the security challenges faced by vulnerable communities in Nigeria.
