YOUTHS and residents of Edumoga District of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State on Monday blocked the Makurdi-Otukpo-Enugu federal highway in protest over the brutal murder of a lecturer at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, Mr Echobu Adah, on Sunday evening, National Report can authoritatively report.
Our correspondent gathered that the protest began very early on Monday when residents from various communities blocked the highway at Olengbecho-Ekeh and totally cutting off traffic on either side of the usually very busy thoroughfare.
National Record gathered the protest was a spontaneous response of the youth and residents when news of the murder of a popular lecturer, Echobu Ada, who is also from the area and very active in community affairs in sub-urban Effoyo-Ugbokolo axis of Edumoga District of Okpokwu LGA.
Adah was said to have at around 4-5pm on Sunday evening ran into a gang suspected to be ‘unknown gunmen’ operating on the highway, who upon sighting him, gunned him down in a hail of bullets.
Our correspondent gathered that for the past two to three weeks, the portion of the highway between Ekeh and Ugbokolo has been under heavy siege of by gunmen who rob and kidnap commuters plying he route.
One of the leaders of the protest, who simply identified himself as Gabriel, said the demonstration and action of blocking the highway was meant to draw the attention of the security agencies and no to disrupt free flow of traffic.
“Enough of the carnage; this is not acceptable. The attacks on this road have been on for the past two weeks and they have been reported, yet the security agencies are doing nothing about it. There is a police checkpoint not far from where the killing took place but the police personnel don’t deem it necessary to intervene. Do we have government in place at all? Our people are being killed like chickens on this road and we have over 30 checkpoints between Otukpo and this place; what are they doing on the road?” Gabriel asks.
Another protester, identified as Chris, corroborated the claim by blaming the police for the continued robbery at the spot where the lecturer was killed. He said: “The police are not helping matters; they are the ones aiding and abetting the crime. The distance from where Mr Adah was killed was just a stone throw from the police and the police refused to go there.”
The protesters vowed not to leave he road until they are assured that the lives and property of the people of the area are secured.
