Nigerian music icon Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, has expressed deep sorrow over the recent massacre in Yelwata, Benue State.
In a heartfelt video posted on Sunday, June 15, 2025, the award-winning singer struggled to articulate the pain and frustration he feels as his home state continues to endure waves of brutal violence.
Appearing alongside his wife, lawmaker Natasha Osawaru, 2Baba described the worsening security situation in Benue as a full-blown national crisis. Now serving as a Technical Adviser to the Benue State government, he urged leaders at both the state and federal levels to take immediate and decisive action.
“Condemnation is no longer enough,” 2Baba said, visibly distressed by the latest killings. He appealed to government officials, stakeholders, and everyday Nigerians to come together and develop lasting solutions to stop the bloodshed.
His plea follows a deadly attack on Friday night, June 13, allegedly carried out by suspected herders in the Yelwata community of Guma Local Government Area, which claimed the lives of over 200 people, many of them internally displaced persons.
In a related response, Pope Leo XIV also denounced the massacre, calling it a horrific slaughter of innocent lives and urging the international community to pay urgent attention to the crisis.
As reactions continue to pour in both locally and globally, 2Baba’s emotional appeal has resonated deeply, intensifying demands for immediate intervention in the violence-stricken region.
