Protesters carry corpses to Och'Idoma palace after fresh Benue killings

Yesterday, aggrieved youths in Benue State stormed the palace of the Och'Idoma, His Royal Majesty Agabaidu Elaigwu John Odogbo, carrying the corpses of victims killed in fresh attacks by suspected herdsmen. Over 10 persons were confirmed dead after separate attacks on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area. The protesters were heard saying, "How long will this continue? Will a man escape from his own ancestral land? We have lost hope in our politicians."

This is the kind of desperation that drives people to carry their own dead to a traditional ruler's doorstep. When citizens feel abandoned by the security agencies and the government, they turn to the only authority they still trust. But what can the Och'Idoma do alone? He is a traditional ruler, not a general or a commissioner of police.

The question that keeps haunting me is this: how many more corpses must be carried to palaces and government houses before our leaders treat this as a national emergency and not just another news cycle?