Insecurity: Benue women block highway in protest over arrests, herdsmen attacks

Women from the North Bank area of Makurdi, Benue State, took to the streets on Friday, protesting what they described as rising insecurity and indiscriminate arrests by security agents.

The women, numbering in hundreds, blocked the busy federal highway at the Agan tollgate, disrupting traffic for several hours. Clad in wrappers and carrying green leaves, they chanted solidarity songs and demanded an end to what they called “unjust harassment” of their husbands and sons.

The protesters said security operatives were arresting young men in large numbers from the area while doing little to protect communities from the ongoing attacks by armed herdsmen.

“In just one day, they picked up over 50 innocent boys in North Bank,” one of the women told reporters. “We are living in fear of herdsmen, and now we also fear the security forces.”

They called on the government and security authorities to stop targeting civilians and instead focus on protecting residents from real threats.

The protest caused major gridlock along the Makurdi-Gboko road before security operatives arrived to disperse the demonstrators peacefully.