Hundreds of women from Munga Lelau community in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State on Monday staged a peaceful protest to condemn the recent killings of their husbands amid escalating communal violence.
Dressed in black to symbolize mourning, the women undertook a long march from their village to Karim, the administrative headquarters of the council. They carried placards bearing various messages and green leaves—commonly used to represent peace—as they chanted dirges and called for urgent action from authorities.
Leading the protest, Rejoice Ishmael Sunday appealed to the state government to impose a temporary restriction on the movement of Fulani herders in the area, blaming the recent attacks on suspected herders.
“This is genocide,” she said. “We are being killed in our sleep. Our husbands are gone. We are crying out for help. Let the government protect us by deploying more security to stop this bloodshed.”
She further accused certain security operatives of complicity in the violence and called on the government to ensure impartiality and transparency in the work of the judicial commission of inquiry currently investigating the crisis.
The women stressed that only justice and inclusiveness in the peace process could bring lasting stability to the troubled region.
Responding to the protest, Chairman of Karim Lamido Local Government Council, Bitrus Danjos, praised the women for their peaceful conduct and assured them that their grievances would be escalated to higher authorities. He reiterated the council’s readiness to partner with security agencies and community leaders in restoring peace.
However, the protest was briefly disrupted when security operatives reportedly fired teargas at the demonstrators, citing the lack of formal notice to the police. Some protesters fled the scene in panic, though no injuries were reported.
The demonstration comes shortly after a peace accord was signed by the Bandwa, Jenjo, Fulani, and Munga communities, aimed at ending a wave of violent clashes that have plagued the area for months.
It will be recalled that more than 40 people were recently killed in an attack on Munga Lelau community, with properties worth millions of naira destroyed in the violence.