Gripped by grief and desperation after enduring repeated attacks by gunmen that have claimed hundreds of lives and forced thousands from their homes, residents of Kogi State took to the streets, blocking a major highway in a demand for justice and urgent government action to stop the violence devastating their communities.
The group, largely made up of youths and elders, converged on a major road where they halted traffic and chanted protest songs in a symbolic show of outrage over the worsening insecurity.
Protesters carried signs with messages such as “End insecurity, Federal Government, please protect our lives,” and “Enough is enough.”
Videos circulating online showed a military vehicle trailing the marchers as they blocked the highway to draw national attention to their plight.
“This is no longer about fear; it’s about survival. If the government does not act, ordinary people will continue to be the victims,” a protester told journalists who came to cover the march on Thursday.
The demonstrators also accused certain individuals within the community of secretly supporting kidnappers by providing them with shelter and supplies, warning that such complicity only emboldens criminal groups.
The mass action erupted in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, a border town with Kwara South, where kidnappings have become increasingly frequent.
The protest followed a fresh attack in one of the area’s vulnerable communities, where armed men abducted several villagers and took them to an unknown location.
Confirming the security incident that triggered the protest, the Kogi State Police Command said the victims were kidnapped during a night-time raid.
Police spokesperson William Aya stated that Commissioner of Police Miller Dantawaye had deployed a tactical squad to the area to restore calm, pursue the attackers, and rescue the abducted residents.
However, locals insist that beyond reactive deployments, the government must introduce long-term security measures to protect Egbe and surrounding communities from what they describe as a growing wave of insecurity spreading across the border region.
