Roads blocked, tensions high: Owukpa youths take a stand against kidnappings.
Youths in Owukpa, Ogbadibo LGA of Benue State, blocked major roads on Monday in protest against the abduction of female traders by suspected armed herdsmen. The victims were passengers in a Benue Links bus hijacked near Eyiupi community on the Owukpa-Orokam road over the weekend.
According to DAILY POST, the attack occurred around 7 p.m. as the women returned from Orba market in Enugu. The kidnappers, yet to contact families, took an unspecified number of victims.
The protesters barricaded the Orokam-Owukpa-Okpoga road, halting all movement in and out of the community. “We demand action from the government to rescue our people,” one demonstrator said. Travelers from Enugu and nearby areas were left stranded as tensions escalated.
Authorities have yet to issue a statement, but locals accuse armed herders of escalating insecurity in the region.