Hundreds of women and youths from the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State took to the streets on Tuesday, barricading the busy Otukpo-Abuja highway in a protest against ongoing killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen in their communities.

 

The demonstrators, under the banner of Voice of the Hopeless Women, staged a peaceful yet emotionally charged protest, decrying the rising wave of attacks that have claimed numerous lives and destroyed properties in the area.

 

In a letter titled “Notification of a Peaceful Demonstration,” addressed to local authorities, the group expressed deep anguish over what they described as relentless, targeted assaults on their families, homes, and farmlands. The letter was signed by bereaved women of the area and endorsed by the Hunter Group, Apa Chapter. It was also submitted to the Chairman of Apa LGA, the Divisional Police Officer, Civil Defence, Volunteer Guard, as well as 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 read in part. “Today, our children can hardly go to school, our lives are in danger, our future is in shambles.”

 

The protest was sparked by the recent killings in Ankpali Edikwu community, where gunmen reportedly invaded homes in broad daylight on Sunday, killing residents in what witnesses described as a calculated and brutal attack. Eyewitnesses confirmed that victims were deliberately targeted inside their houses, suggesting a chilling pattern of house-to-house executions rather than random violence.

 

Fresh reports of attacks emerged Tuesday morning from Odugbo, another community in Apa LGA, where residents claimed to have heard gunshots just hours before the protest began.

 

One protester, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed frustration over the perceived inaction of both state and federal governments.

 

“Even in the North East where Boko Haram operates, they don’t go into people’s homes to slaughter them like animals,” she said. “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 growing outrage in the area over what many see as official silence or indifference. Critics argue that the lack of public condemnation from high-level officials suggests complicity or gross neglect.

 

Carrying placards with messages like “Stop Killing Our Men,” “We Are Widows Not by Choice,” and “Enough is Enough,” the protesters are demanding immediate government intervention, including the deployment of security forces, a thorough investigation into the killings, and relief for affected families.

 

As tension continues to rise in the region, civil society organizations and local leaders are calling for urgent and concrete actions to prevent further bloodshed.