IDPs Block Benue-Nassarawa Highway, Demand Return To Ancestral Homes.

Traffic along the Yelwata axis of the Benue–Nasarawa highway ground as hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) staged a protest, demanding an immediate return to their ancestral homes. The demonstrators, believed to be victims of repeated attacks by suspected herdsmen, blocked both lanes of the busy highway for several hours, chanting, “We want to go back home.”

The protest caused significant disruption, leaving motorists and passengers stranded for hours. Eyewitnesses reported that the IDPs, many of whom have endured years in overcrowded camps, expressed frustration over the government’s failure to restore security to their communities. “We have suffered enough. We want to return to our homes and farms,” one protester told reporters at the scene.

Security personnel were deployed to monitor the situation and prevent escalation, though tensions remained high as of the time of this report. Efforts to obtain comments from the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other relevant authorities were unsuccessful.

The protest underscores the growing unrest among displaced persons in the region, highlighting the urgent need for solutions to address their plight and ensure safe returns to their communities.