Ugbokpo, Benue State – Hundreds of women in Benue State staged a peaceful protest in Ugbokpo, the administrative headquarters of Apa Local Government Area, to denounce ongoing deadly attacks by suspected armed herdsmen. The protest, which drew women from several affected communities, was triggered by a series of violent incursions that reportedly claimed 28 lives last Sunday.
Wearing mournful expressions and bearing placards with stark messages, the protesters marched through the streets as early as 8 a.m., chanting sorrowful songs and demanding urgent government intervention. Messages such as “Fulani, stop killing our men,” “Government, come to our aid or we die,” and “Apa, a community of widows” reflected the depth of grief and frustration among the demonstrators.
The march was organized under the banner “The Voice of the Voiceless Women in Apa,” and came just days after brutal attacks on Ijaha, Ibele, Ochekwu, and Edikwu Ankpali communities. According to local sources, the assaults left dozens dead and many others injured, compounding the suffering of residents who say they have long been under siege.
A protest letter addressed to security agencies and signed by bereaved women, along with members of the Hunter Group (Apa Chapter), described the violence as systematic and devastating. “The herdsmen invaded our farms, our homes, and our bedrooms to kill and destroy our children, husbands, and fellow women,” the letter read. “Our children can hardly go to school, our lives are in danger, and our future is in shambles.”
One of the protest leaders, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, criticized what she called the deafening silence from both state and federal authorities. “Even in the Northeast, where Boko Haram operates, they don’t invade homes the way these herdsmen do here in Apa,” she said. “They go from house to house, butchering people in a dehumanizing and cruel manner.”
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Apa Local Government Council, Mr. Adams Ocheiga, for comment were unsuccessful, as he declined to speak on the issue.
The latest attacks add to the growing insecurity in parts of Benue State, where clashes between armed herders and local farming communities have resulted in mass displacements and rising casualties over the years. Residents continue to call on the government for protection and justice.
