- Safiu Kehinde
Barely two months after the massacre of over 200 members of their community, women of Yelewata town in Benue state, have stormed the highway, disrupting traffic flow in protest over fresh attack and killings by suspected armed herdsmen.
The attack which reportedly occurred in the early hours of Monday when the suspected herders allegedly shot three farmers dead on their farm with three others sustaining gunshot injuries.
In reaction, the community women stormed the highway linking Benue and Nasarawa states.
They blamed the killings on the failure of soldiers to respond to the attacks on time, leaving the police and youths mobilised to the area to repel the herdsmen.
As captured in a now viral video shared on X, the bodies of the murdered farmers were placed on the road as the women carrying tree branches protest.
This left several commuters stranded as drivers were forced to park their cars on the road.
While an official statement confirming the incident is yet to be issued, a former government official, Matthew Mnyam, who spoke to Channels Television, disclosed ongoing attempt by him and many leaders to persuade the women to vacate the federal highway.
Mnyam said the women rejected their plea as they insisted that soldiers leave their communities for allegedly refusing to protect them.
“This morning, three persons were killed by Fulani herdsmen while three others were discovered with severe gunshot injuries from the attack, leaving them in critical condition as we speak.
“This prompted a protest by women from the Yelwata community on the renewed killings.
“The commissioner of police is there at the moment trying to handle the matter, while I have sent a message to the Secretary of Guma Local Government Area (LGA) to reach out to the chairman to intervene in the matter.” He said.