Tired of incessant herdsmen attacks and the apparent lack of concern from the government, female residents of Ortese village along Makurdi-Lafia road, Guma Local Government Area, Benue State, staged a protest on Friday morning.
FIJ learned that three people were killed in their houses, two in one compound and one in another compound after they retired to sleep on Thursday night.
This is not the first of such incidents in the area, as news reports show that herdsmen attacks are rife in the local government area.
As seen in a video shared by Cobhams Oyibo on Friday, old and young women trooped out en masse to express their grievances against the attacks that seem to have no end in sight.
WWW.SEARCHNG.NG – Search on Sells.ng Nigeria's First Ecommerce Shopping Search Engine ...For More About This Post: Teenage Boy ‘Saves’ Abuja Residents From Nighttime Kidnappers
If you’re on your way to Markudi from Abuja or from Markudi to Abuja. Don’t bother.Fulani Herdsmen attacked a village, now there’s a road block. They’re demanding the presence of the Governor. pic.twitter.com/kqOuZAsaqI— MALEEK (@CobhamsOyibo) August 11, 2023
Oyibo told FIJ that he was in transit along the Abuja-Makurdi route when he found that a roadblock had been mounted, which hampered the flow of vehicular movement.
Noting that he was one of the few people naval officials helped to pass through the roadblock, he said there were police officers and military men at the scene but they seemed unable to do anything about the situation.
“I learnt that the attack happened the previous night and people died. The women in the community mounted the roadblock, as they lamented that there was a military base in the community yet there had been a continuous attack in their village,” he said.
“They want the governor to bring a lasting solution. They claimed that they could not farm for some months because of constant attacks.”
WWW.SEARCHNG.NG – Search on Sells.ng Nigeria's First Ecommerce Shopping Search Engine ...For More About This Post: A Trader Told A Knife-Wielding Soldier To ‘Calm Down’. For That, He Was Made To Crawl in Dirty Water
Also speaking with FIJ, another source, who does not wish to be named, said the Thursday attack followed a series of attacks by suspected herders.
According to this source, the anger of the residents stemmed from the fact that the soldiers in the area never took action whenever suspected armed herders were sighted and reported to them.
He said the demands of the residents bordered on improved security to allow them to return to their farms, and the arrest of the killers.
“There is a military checkpoint with an armoured vehicle, but anytime they (residents) sight the armed herders and report to the army personnel, they do nothing about it,” he said.
“So, with last night’s incident, the women in the community decided to hold a peaceful protest blocking both sides of the road. Even with the presence of about five sets of army personnel to disperse them, they sustained their protest, calling for the governor to come and address them.”
WWW.SEARCHNG.NG – Search on Sells.ng Nigeria's First Ecommerce Shopping Search Engine ...For More About This Post: Troops Repel ISWAP Attack on Borno Security Base
“The governor of the state, however, was not around, so the district head was sent to address the protesters before they opened up the road for vehicular movement.”
He said when soldiers dismantled the roadblock mounted by the women in the community, the women flooded the road “chanting that since the soldiers had been protecting the killers, they could as well kill them with their vehicles before anyone would pass”.
When FIJ contacted Anene Sewuese Catherine, the police spokesperson in the state, she confirmed the incident.
“I received a report that an attack happened in the area that triggered roadblocks, but I don’t have the details,” she said.
Abatta is a reporter with FIJ, in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
The post Women Block Benue Road Over Frequent Herdsmen Attacks, Resist Soldiers, Police’s Attempts to Allow Vehicular Movement appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.