Around 200 people were reportedly killed and burnt in a brutal attack on Yelwata, a community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Homes were also set ablaze during the incident, which occurred earlier this week.
Amnesty International Nigeria, in a statement on Saturday, condemned the attack and urged Nigerian authorities to take swift action.
“The authorities must immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice,” the organization said.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have plagued rural communities in the region, particularly affecting Christian farming populations.
On Sunday, Pope Leo offered prayers for the victims during his Angelus address at the Vatican.
Describing the event as a “terrible massacre,” he called for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria, and expressed solidarity with the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence.”
Nigerian security officials have not yet provided an official death toll or confirmed the identities of those responsible for the attack.
