Benue women, youths block highway in protest over herdsmen attack

Tensions ran high in Benue State on Tuesday as a large group of women and youths from Apa Local Government Area staged a peaceful but emotionally charged protest against the wave of killings plaguing their communities.

The demonstrators, under the banner of Voice of the Hopeless Women, blocked the busy Otukpo-Abuja highway to demand urgent government intervention. Their protest comes in response to what they described as persistent and targeted attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Holding placards and chanting sorrowful songs, the protesters voiced their anguish and frustration over the relentless violence that has claimed lives, destroyed homes, and left farmlands in ruins.

In a letter titled “Notification of a Peaceful Demonstration” submitted to local authorities, the group expressed deep sorrow over the deteriorating security situation in the area. They accused the government of turning a blind eye to their plight, despite repeated pleas for help.

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The letter, signed by the bereaved women of Apa and endorsed by the Hunter Group, Apa Chapter, was sent to the Chairman of Apa LGA, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Civil Defence, Volunteer Guard, and traditional and religious leaders.

“We have been triggered by their entrance into our farms, homes, and rooms to kill and destroy our children, husbands, and dear loved ones, including fellow women,” the letter reads in part.

“Today, our children can hardly go to school, our lives are in danger, our future in shambles.”

This protest follows the Sunday killing in Ankpali Edikwu, also in Apa LGA, where armed men reportedly stormed homes in broad daylight, brutally killing residents in what witnesses described as a deliberate and savage attack.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the victims were not caught in crossfire but hunted down in their own houses, a pattern increasingly being reported in the region.

Sources confirm ongoing demonstrations across the LGA, with reports of new attacks in Odugbo, where gunshots were reportedly heard in the early hours Tuesday.

A protester who does not want her name in print said the fear and tensions are compounded by a perceived silence from both state and federal authorities, which many residents believe has emboldened the attackers.

She said: “Even in the North East where Boko Haram operates, they don’t go into people’s homes to slaughter them like animals.

“But in Ankpali and other parts of Apa, Fulani herdsmen go from house to house, butchering people in such dehumanising and cruel manners.”

There is a growing sentiment in Apa that the government’s silence is too golden and complicit, as no high-profile official has sincerely and publicly condemned the recent attacks.

This has fueled suspicion of neglect or indifference, with civil society groups and women’s associations now demanding concrete action.

The protesters, carrying placards with messages such as “Stop Killing Our Men,” “We Are Widows Not by Choice,” and “Enough is Enough,” are calling for an immediate deployment of security personnel, a government investigation, and relief for affected families.