Hundreds of women in Benue State’s embattled Apa Local Government Area on Tuesday marched to protest the ongoing killings in their communities.
Women gathered on a major route in Ugbokpo, Apa LGA’s headquarters, to express their outrage at the rising atrocities.
Many people grieved being widowed, with countless children left orphaned.
Chronicle NG reported that communities like Ijaha Ikobi, Edikwu-Ankpali, and Odugbo had been subjected to multiple attacks, resulting in the deaths of countless citizens.
Just past Sunday, 25 individuals were reported slain in the area.
Protesting under the title “Voice of the Hopeless Women”, members of the group carried a letter expressing their outrage at what they characterised as unrelenting and targeted attacks on their families, homes, and farmlands.
The letter read in part, “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.
“Today, our children can hardly go to school, our lives are in danger, and our future is in shambles.”
The aggrieved women wielded placards with inscriptions such as “Stop killing our men”, “We are now widows, not by choice”, and “Enough is enough.”
They urged the federal government to intervene and end the rampant killings in the state.
Speaking during the demonstration, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the local government and a legal practitioner, Ada Ocholi, described the protest as “peaceful and timely, given the plight of innocent residents in the hands of suspected armed herders.”
When contacted, the Chairman of Apa Local Government, Adams Ocheiga, declined to comment.
“Sorry, I’m not in the mood to talk to journalists now.“ Besides, I’m not in Apa at the moment, so I cannot confirm if there is any protest going on,” he said.
