Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, erupted in grief and outrage today as hundreds of youths stormed the streets in a powerful protest against the continued massacre of innocent villagers by suspected Fulani herdsmen. The demonstration, which began peacefully in the early hours, was met with a shocking response from security forces who fired multiple rounds of teargas to disperse the unarmed crowd.
The protest was sparked by yet another gruesome attack that occurred late yesterday evening in Agan (Tse Orjime), a community barely a few kilometers outside Makurdi. Eyewitnesses reported that gunmen suspected to be Fulani herders invaded farmlands and opened fire on unsuspecting villagers, killing at least three people and leaving several others injured. The attackers reportedly fled into the surrounding bushes, as terrified residents fled for their lives, some abandoning loved ones in their panic.
By Naija RealityNews, the news of the killings had spread like wildfire. Filled with grief and fury, local youths gathered the lifeless bodies of the victims and marched through the streets of Makurdi, carrying the corpses to the residence of their constituency representative, Hon. Alfred Berger. Shouting demands for justice and accountability, the protesters accused the lawmaker and other political figures of turning a blind eye to the bloodshed consuming the state.
The atmosphere grew tense as the demonstrators, many of them barefoot and visibly emotional, blocked major highways including the busy Makurdi–Lafia Road. Chants of “Enough is enough!” and “We will not die in silence!” echoed through the city, attracting more onlookers and swelling the crowd into the hundreds. Residents and traders looked on as the youths poured their pain into a public outcry that had long been boiling beneath the surface.
But just as the protest seemed to maintain its peaceful nature, a sudden turn of events escalated the situation. Heavily armed police officers, deployed to monitor the gathering, began firing teargas into the crowd without warning. The thick smoke enveloped the area, sending protesters scrambling in every direction. Some fell to the ground gasping for air, others trampled as panic took over. The once-organized protest turned into chaos, with scattered shoes, personal belongings, and placards strewn across the streets.
One protester, visibly shaken and covered in dust, recounted through coughs, “We came here to speak up, not to fight. But they came with guns and gas. Is it a crime to ask for protection? Is it a crime to mourn?”
Human rights observers and community leaders have condemned the police action, calling it an unnecessary show of force against unarmed citizens expressing legitimate anger over years of bloodshed. Several civil society organizations described the use of teargas as an insult to the memories of those killed, and a dangerous precedent in silencing democratic expression.
The killings in Agan are just the latest in a relentless wave of violence that has tormented Benue State. Dozens of communities across the state, particularly in Guma, Gwer West, Logo, and Apa local government areas, have been subjected to repeated attacks by armed herdsmen. Entire villages have been sacked, farmland destroyed, and thousands of families displaced. Despite repeated calls for federal intervention and the enforcement of Benue’s Anti-Open Grazing Law, the killings continue with impunity.
Benue youths, many of whom have grown up watching their communities burned and their elders buried in shallow graves, say they have reached a breaking point. Today’s protest was more than a response to one night of horror—it was a desperate scream from a generation tired of dying silently.
The Benue State Police Command, in a brief statement, defended the use of teargas as a necessary measure to prevent the protest from spiraling into violence. According to police spokesperson Catherine Anene, intelligence reports suggested that certain elements within the crowd intended to attack private property and escalate the situation. However, this claim has been strongly refuted by eyewitnesses who maintain that the protest was non-violent until the police arrived.
Meanwhile, tension remains high across Makurdi. Though normalcy has slowly returned to parts of the city, the smell of teargas still lingers in the air and the cries of the aggrieved echo in the hearts of many. The three bodies retrieved from Agan have been taken to the morgue, but the pain they represent cannot be buried so easily.
Today, Benue youths spoke in unity and pain. The world must not look away.
