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Germany has reaffirmed support for Nigeria in addressing insecurity and promoting peaceful coexistence, as residents of the Yelwata community in Benue State appealed for urgent government protection and humanitarian assistance following last year’s deadly attack.
Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Thomas Rachel, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja after a fact-finding visit to affected communities and camps for internally displaced persons.
Rachel said his visit to Yelwata was deeply emotional, noting that survivors of the June 2025 attack in which more than 200 Christians were reportedly killed raised concerns about their safety and future.
He said residents asked for protection, government support and opportunities to return from displacement camps to their ancestral homes.
“I am still moved by my visit to Yelwata, the village where a massacre took place in June 2025. More than 200 Christians were killed there.
“The people with whom I spoke, they asked for safety. They asked what the government can do. They asked for support for living, and they want to have a chance to return from IDPs, from internally displaced persons, to their ancestral homes,” he said.
Yelwata, about seven kilometres north of Makurdi in Guma Local Government Area, was attacked in the early hours of June 13, 2025, by gunmen who reportedly killed over 200 villagers, displaced thousands and razed homes.
Rachel said insecurity remained a major challenge in Nigeria, stressing that both Christians and Muslims had suffered from extremist violence.
He said Christians and Muslims shared a common enemy in terrorists, while expressing solidarity with Nigeria.
The German official also raised concerns over reports of human rights abuses linked to the application of blasphemy laws in some northern states.
Rachel said complaints had been made about selective enforcement of such laws, which he noted had resulted in serious violations of human rights and freedom of religion.
“I spoke with Muslim people, with Christians, with humanist representatives. I visited the IDP camp international market in Makudi. I spoke with victims, and you can feel that they are not sure if they have a perspective for their life and this makes me sad.
“We heard about the concerns of quite a lot of people about the partial application of blasphemy laws in certain northern states, which leads to severe violations of human rights, as well as the freedom of religion and belief,” he said.
He identified terrorism in the North-East and farmer-herder conflicts in the Middle Belt as major drivers of violence.
According to him, killings by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as clashes involving farmers and external herders, showed the scale of the security crisis.
Rachel described Nigeria as one of Germany’s key partners in Africa, saying both countries shared democratic values and commitment to free societies.
He said Germany remained committed to promoting freedom of religion and belief, which he described as fundamental to human dignity, peace and national stability.
“Nigeria is one of our key partners on this continent, and furthermore, Nigeria and Germany share important values. Both countries are democracies. They are free societies. Germany remains fully committed to protecting and promoting the freedom of religion and belief.
“You know, we have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 80, which says that every person can believe and have religion and pray and worship whatever he or she wants, or change the religion, or have no religion at all. This is a fundamental right, which is the basis of the human rights of the United Nations, and it’s also important because the freedom of religion and belief is an indicator for human dignity, for stability in a country, and also for peace in a country.
“I realise that Nigeria is probably the most religious country I have ever seen, perhaps in the world. The people live with religion, and I think this is really impressive.”
Rachel added that Germany would continue supporting Nigeria through political, economic and peace-building efforts, including mediation initiatives with organisations such as the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
On military cooperation, he said Germany would not deploy troops to Nigeria but would continue to provide advisory and training support through members of the Bundeswehr.
“We have some people from our so-called Bundeswehr who recommend and train the military of Nigeria. We will not act in any military way in Nigeria. Nigeria is a strong country,” he said.
He stressed that lasting peace would depend on unity across religious and ethnic lines, adding that fear among citizens remained a challenge for both the country and its government.
