Over 1,000 women in Enugu State protested against ongoing herder violence, demanding government action to end attacks on farmers.

More than 1,000 Nigerian women shut down economic and social activities on Thursday in Enugu State, protesting against the persistent attacks on farmers by armed herdsmen.

The women, drawn from seven autonomous communities, blocked a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) stretch of the Nkalagu-Afor Federal Highway in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area. Similar protests had been staged on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Protest leader Angela Ogenyi told Anadolu that hundreds of women had been killed or displaced from their farms and homes since 2021.

"We are being raped, beaten, and mutilated by criminal herdsmen for stopping their cattle from eating our crops," she said. "Our sons and husbands can no longer go to their farms. We can't continue like this."

Protesters said they had made several attempts to draw the attention of authorities, but their pleas had gone unanswered.

"Today, we have decided to stage the mother of all protests to draw the attention of Governor Peter Mbah to the killings,” one protester said 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.

However, the conflict has taken on an increasingly divisive tone, exacerbating ethnic, regional, and religious tensions that threaten to tear the country apart.

As the conflict intensifies, Nigeria’s social fabric is being stretched to the breaking point, with far-reaching consequences for stability.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, said that “the matter is being looked at and is under control.”