Benue villagers block highway after fresh killings
Tension gripped parts of Benue State on Saturday as villagers blocked the busy Makurdi–Lafia highway to protest the killing of five farmers on their way to their fields. The protests brought traffic to a standstill for hours, leaving motorists stranded.
According to witnesses, the incidents happened in separate attacks between Friday evening and early Saturday. Two of the victims were reportedly killed around Tse Adaa village in Guma Local Government Area, while three others were hacked to death at Abagena and Atsom communities in Makurdi LGA.
The killings triggered an angry reaction from locals, who moved the corpses of some of the victims onto the highway in a dramatic demonstration of their frustration and fear. They demanded that the government take urgent steps to halt what they described as unprovoked assaults on their communities.
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One resident, Terkaa Asongo, said the people had been left with no choice but to protest visibly after repeated attacks with little response. He noted that placing the corpses on the road was meant to draw immediate attention to the plight of rural farmers.
A traveller, Melody Ede, who was caught up in the disruption while heading to Abuja, described the situation as chaotic. She said vehicles were stuck for hours as villagers insisted that the state governor must personally address them before they would clear the highway.
“But as we speak, we see security agencies actively working to resolve the situation and restore safe passage,” Ede added.
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Police authorities have, however, offered a different account of the situation. The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed the killing of two farmers in Guma but said she was not aware of any road blockade with corpses.
Edet explained that she would reach out to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for a clearer picture, stressing that security operatives were monitoring the developments.
The killings are the latest in a series of violent incidents that have plagued farming communities across Benue, often forcing residents into protests to draw attention to their vulnerability. The situation underscores the worsening security challenges in the North-Central state.
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