FULANI PEACE AGREEMENT: RAPE AS A WEAPON OF TERROR IN APA, AS MINOR, OTHERS FALL VICTIMS
Fresh Attacks in Jato-Aka, While Alia, Ejeh, and Ochega Remain Silent
By Morgan Adikwu
A fresh wave of horror has engulfed Apa as Fulani herdsmen escalate their brutality, not just through killings and farm destruction, but through the most horrifying form of violence—rape. These atrocities, happening under the so-called peace deal brokered by Governor Hyacinth Alia, the “Ambassador of Fulani Herdsmen Resettlement in Benue,” James Melvin Ejeh, and Apa Local Government Chairman, Adah Ochega, expose the glaring failure of their leadership and betrayal of their people.
In Idada Apa local government area of Benue, a 12-year-old girl was ambushed while fetching firewood with her sister. The attackers chased them down, and while one girl managed to escape, the younger was overpowered. Her assailants tore off her clothing with a knife before brutally raping her. She is now receiving treatment at a clinic in Iga Okpaya in Apa, forever scarred by the unimaginable trauma.
In another heart-wrenching case in Ugbokpo, a woman was raped in her own community. Instead of support, she now faces abandonment as her husband threatens to divorce her, deepening the wounds of her ordeal. Reports of similar atrocities continue to emerge from other parts of Apa, including Iga, Edikwu, and beyond, painting a grim picture of unchecked terror. The Fulani herdsmen, emboldened by the state’s inaction, have transformed rape into a weapon of war, tearing apart families and leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
As if the suffering in Apa were not enough, fresh attacks in Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area, on 17th February 2025, have further exposed the tragic consequences of this so-called peace deal. Contrary to claims by the DG of Homeland Security that there are no killings in the Turan axis of Benue State, a young man from Jato-Aka has released a video showing victims of herdsmen attacks receiving treatment at NKST Hospital. The bloodshed continues, and the government’s indifference only emboldens the killers. How many more lives must be lost before those in power wake up to their responsibilities?
Despite these horrifying crimes, neither Alia, Ejeh, nor Ochega have uttered a word of condemnation. Ejeh, who enlisted Ochega into this deceptive peace resettlement package, must now answer for his false assurances. The Fulani have violated whatever agreement they claimed to have made—what more excuses will Ejeh and his accomplices invent to cover up their failure?
The silence of this administration is deafening. The betrayal is complete. The people of Apa demand justice. The world must not look away as our women and children suffer at the hands of those emboldened by a government too complicit to protect them. History will not forget those who stood by while their people were violated in the name of a false peace.
