More than 1,000 Nigerian women took to the streets on Thursday, shutting down economic and social activities in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, to protest the relentless attacks on farmers by armed herdsmen.
The women, representing seven autonomous communities, blocked a two-kilometer stretch of the Nkalagu-Afor Federal Highway, continuing a series of protests that began on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Protest leader, Angela Ogenyi, told Anadolu Agency that since 2021, hundreds of women have been killed, displaced, raped, and brutalized by criminal herdsmen who invade their farms and allow cattle to destroy crops.
Ogenyi described gruesome cases of sexual violence, including incidents where sticks were inserted into women's private parts, highlighting the brutality faced by local farmers.
The women accused authorities of ignoring repeated pleas for protection and intervention, leaving their communities vulnerable and livelihoods destroyed.
The protest underscores growing insecurity in farming communities, particularly in Nigeria’s southeast region, where conflicts between herders and farmers have escalated into widespread violence, displacing families and threatening food security.
"Today, we … have decided to stage the mother of all protests to draw the attention of Gov. Peter Mbah to the killings,” according to a protester who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A long-simmering conflict between farmers and herders has escalated into one of Nigeria's most pressing security challenges, claiming thousands of lives and destabilizing communities across the country.
At its core, the crisis revolves around a struggle for control of dwindling resources, pitting farmers against herders in a bitter dispute.
The conflict, however, has taken on an increasingly divisive tone, exacerbating ethnic, regional, and religious tensions that threaten to tear apart the country.
As the conflict continues to intensify, Nigeria's social fabric is being stretched to the breaking point with far-reaching consequences for stability.