Youths in Benue State on Saturday blocked the Makurdi-Lafia-Abuja highway with the bodies of three people who were killed earlier that morning in their farms by suspected armed herdsmen at Abagena and Atsom villages, on the outskirts of Makurdi Local Government Area.
The incident happened around 8:30am when farmers in the area came under attack. Panic spread quickly as residents fled with their families. Three people were killed, several others were taken hostage, and many remain unaccounted for. The attack was said to have taken place barely a kilometre from the highway.
This fresh violence occurred less than 24 hours after two people were killed in Tse Adaa village in neighbouring Guma Local Government Area. The repeated assaults have left many residents fearful and uncertain of their safety.
In anger, villagers carried the corpses of the victims onto the highway, disrupting traffic between Makurdi and Daudu. They demanded the state governor come and address them directly, insisting that authorities must take action to protect farming communities and bring the killings to an end.
Security operatives later arrived at the scene to calm tensions and persuaded the protesters to allow vehicles to move again. Attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Deputy Superintendent Udeme Edet, for an official response were not successful as at the time of this report.