Traffic on the Makurdi–Abuja highway was paralyzed on Saturday as residents of Achakpa community in Agan, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, staged a massive protest against the killing of their kinsmen by suspected armed herdsmen.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of September 20, 2025, on the outskirts of Achakpa along the North Bank–Lafia road, left at least three people dead.
The victims were identified as Tor Felafa, his son, and Mr. Francis Kulegwa, a senior choir master at Daudu Mission in the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi.
Witnesses said the attackers laid an ambush for the victims while they worked on their farms, a method believed to have been carefully planned after monitoring farming routines in the community.
Several residents were also abducted, while others managed to escape. Some villagers remain unaccounted for.
In response, hundreds of aggrieved locals poured onto the highway, blocking the Garba–Atson–Abagena IDP camp stretch of the road.
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Holding placards and tree branches, they chanted solidarity songs and vowed not to clear the road until authorities took decisive action.
“We have lost too many people, and nothing is being done. We won’t leave this road until justice is served,” one protester said.
The protest left commuters stranded for hours, with vehicles backed up on both ends of the highway.
Benue has in recent years been one of the worst-hit states by clashes between farmers and armed herders, with recurring attacks leaving scores dead and thousands displaced.