Tensions soared in the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday as women and young people took to the streets, halting traffic along the Otukpo-Abuja highway in protest of the ongoing deadly attacks ravaging their communities. The demonstrators, spearheaded by the group “Voice of the Hopeless Women,” called on the government to act swiftly and put an end to the killings believed to be carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

In a letter titled “Notification of a Peaceful Demonstration,” directed at local authorities, the group voiced their deep sorrow and anger over what they described as a sustained and deliberate campaign of violence targeting their families, homes, and farmland.

The letter, signed by the mourning women of Apa and supported by the Hunter Group, Apa Chapter, was sent to the Chairman of Apa LGA, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Civil Defence, Volunteer Guard, and various traditional and religious leaders.

“We have suffered immense trauma from their invasions of our homes, farms, and rooms, where they slaughtered our children, husbands, and loved ones, including women,” the letter stated.

“Today, our children can barely attend school; our lives are perpetually in danger, and our future remains uncertain.”

The demonstration followed a gruesome attack on Sunday in Ankpali Edikwu, also located in Apa LGA, where armed assailants reportedly invaded homes in broad daylight, killing residents in a brutal and targeted manner.

Eyewitnesses report that victims were not victims of a crossfire but were specifically hunted down inside their homes, a chilling trend that has become more frequent in the region.

Sources suggest that protests are still underway throughout the LGA, with fresh gunfire heard in Odugbo early Tuesday morning.

One protester, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed her frustration with the silence from both state and federal authorities, which many locals believe has empowered the attackers.

“Even in the North East, where Boko Haram operates, they don’t go into homes to massacre people like animals,” she said.

“But in Ankpali and other areas of Apa, Fulani herdsmen are invading houses one by one, brutally slaughtering people in the most horrific ways.”