Benue killings: I won”t bow to machinations of evildoers, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has described as vile and satanic, the killing of worshippers and two priests at a Catholic church in Ukpor-Mbalom community in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

The president, in a statement on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said his administration would not bow to the machinations of evildoers.

Buhari described the killing of the priests and the worshippers as a plot to stoke up religious crisis and plunge communities in the country into endless bloodletting.

President Buhari vowed that the assailants would be hunted down and made to pay for the sacrilege committed.

"This latest assault on innocent persons is particularly despicable. Violating a place of worship, killing priests and worshippers is not only vile, evil and satanic, it is clearly calculated to stoke up religious conflict and plunge our communities into endless bloodletting," he said.

The president said he extended his sincere condolences to the government and people of Benue State, the Mbalom community, and especially the Bishop, priests and members of the St Ignatius’ Catholic Church, whose premises was "the unfortunate venue of the heinous killings by gunmen."