Benue Massacre: Women and Children Bear the Brunt of Killings, Says Conflict Expert Dr. Achakpa
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Benue Massacre: Women and Children Bear the Brunt of Killings, Says Conflict Expert Dr. Achakpa
Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, founder of the Women Environmental Programme and a long-time advocate working in conflict zones across Benue State since 2001, has revealed that women and children have been the most affected victims of the recent wave of violent killings in the region.
In an emotional interview with Arise TV on Monday, Dr. Achakpa described the attack on Yelewata community in Benue as a coordinated and deliberate act of terror. She noted that although villagers had a premonition of the assault, they were unable to defend themselves due to lack of arms.
“This is a kind of a well-planned attack. These attacks have been planned and they came in different angles. Because when I was talking with the villagers, they told us they knew something like this was going to happen. So, they were a little bit prepared.
“But because they’re armless, there’s nothing or really that could be done. These people came in their thousands. And they came from four different angles. Some of them were on bikes. They had worse, I mean, worse sophisticated weapons that was killing them,” she said.
Dr. Achakpa further lamented the horrific aftermath of the massacre, emphasizing that most of the victims were already displaced persons who had taken refuge in temporary shelters.
“The most annoying thing is that those who are killed are also those who have been displaced and taking refuge in these places. They’re sleeping in the stores, and they come and burn them alive. Several women, but I have all the list, most of the list of people that had died, numbering over 200. For goodness sake,” she said.
The mass killings in Yelewata, alongside other recent attacks across Benue State, have sparked national outrage and renewed concerns over the safety of vulnerable populations, especially women and children, in conflict-prone areas.
