Angry youths barricaded a major road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area on Friday and demanded urgent action against relentless terrorist killings and kidnappings, only for police to disperse them with tear gas.
Hundreds of demonstrators, mostly young residents from affected Bunuland communities, gathered peacefully in the morning.
They chanted solidarity songs, waved placards reading “Bunuland Bleeds” and “Why Should We Ask for Permission to Live?”, and completely blocked traffic on a key highway.
Protesters highlighted how persistent terrorist raids have forced dozens of families to abandon their ancestral homes, leaving entire villages deserted and farmlands empty.
“We have 44 communities in Bunuland, and many now stand empty,” one demonstrator told journalists amid the march.
“Communities like Kayetoro, Kiri, and Ole have seen repeated murders and abductions.
People flee because they can no longer live in safety.”
The protest reflected growing despair across Kabba-Bunu, where terrorists have killed scores, abducted over 60 residents (with many still in captivity as of late December 2025), and displaced thousands in recent months.
Recent attacks include the December 14, 2025 assault on churches in Ayetoro Kiri that left one person dead and dozens kidnapped, as well as the abduction of several travelers along the Omi–Odo Ara Road on December 30.
Despite the peaceful nature of the demonstration, police swiftly intervened.
Officers lobbed multiple rounds of tear gas into the crowd, forcing protesters to scatter and clearing the blocked road within minutes.
No injuries or arrests occurred during the dispersal, according to eyewitness accounts.
Undeterred, several participants vowed to continue pressing for government intervention.
They accused authorities of failing to deploy adequate security measures or respond effectively to repeated distress calls from rural communities.
The incident underscores the deepening humanitarian and security crisis in parts of Kogi State, where terrorist groups continue to terrorize agrarian areas with impunity.
Local leaders from the Bunu Development Association have repeatedly called for stronger federal and state action, including enhanced patrols and community-based intelligence support, to restore peace and enable displaced residents to return home.
As tension lingers in Kabba-Bunu, residents insist their demand remains simple: the right to live without fear in their own land.
