Security forces in Benue State broke up a protest in Makurdi on Sunday using tear gas, as residents took to the streets to denounce fresh waves of violence in the region.
The demonstration, held at Wurukum roundabout, followed deadly attacks in Guma Local Government Area on Friday night that reportedly left more than 100 people dead in Yelewata and Daudu communities.
Just two days prior, 25 others were reported killed in Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa, both in Makurdi LGA.
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Dressed in black and waving green leaves, demonstrators gathered under the banner of the #StopBenueKillings campaign to demand immediate government action to halt the bloodshed.
Commissioner of Police Emenari Ifeanyi met with the demonstrators and urged them to remain peaceful, assuring them of ongoing efforts to apprehend the perpetrators.
“I was monitoring and at the checking point for more than six hours. Tell your people to calm down, we need to support of the youth and everybody in Benu state,” he said.
“It’s a phase and we are passing through it already. We have already cut the head of the snake and we will get the peace that we deserved.
“Instead of being in the bush with other security agencies, we are here. If you prolonged your actions here, you’re giving opportunity for the enemies to plan. We have intelligence of their movement and we are blocking them.”
Shortly after his address, video clips emerged on social media showing police using tear gas to disperse the crowd.
“There are security trucks stationed at the Wurukum roundabout in Makurdi, where the #StopBenueKillings protesters are gathered, and a helicopter is hovering over them,” a protester said in one of the videos.
“If this energy were directed toward securing lives in the state, residents wouldn’t be protesting. Protesters have, as usual, been tear-gassed and dispersed.”
As canisters flew through the air, many fled the scene, covering their faces and coughing as a police chopper hovered overhead and patrol vans lined strategic points across the city.
