Women drawn from 14 communities in Amukpe District, Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, staged a dramatic protest over escalating insecurity, invoking traditional curses against suspected kidnappers, drug traffickers and other criminal elements.
The protest, held at the Amukpe Roundabout, was spearheaded largely by elderly women who lamented that their communities had come under relentless attacks and could no longer tolerate the spate of abductions and violence.
Participants arrived from Ikwegwru, Okirigwre, Amukpe, Ibada, Eko, Igbeku, Adagbrasa-Amukpe and adjoining settlements, chanting solidarity songs and performing symbolic rites.
Community leaders described the action as a culturally rooted response aimed at drawing attention to the worsening security situation and pressing authorities to act swiftly.
The gathering featured prayers and ritual pronouncements intended to serve as a stern warning to perpetrators and their collaborators.
Dignitaries present included the Assistant Duke of Amukpe District, Chief Morrison Asagba; the President-General of Amukpe District, Hon. Samson Eruteyan Ohiambe; Chief Festus Pemu; Chief Dennis Odebala; Chief Godday Okpako; and Hon. Hero Asagba.
Speaking with journalists, Asagba said the resurgence of kidnappings and violent attacks compelled traditional authorities to align with the women in confronting criminality through ancestral means.
He explained that the invocation of curses was consistent with age-long customs predating modern religious influences and was directed at those who “shed innocent blood and unsettle communal harmony.”
Eruteyan, on his part, decried what he described as a deteriorating security climate, alleging that abductions now occur at all hours.
He said the affected communities had resolved to identify and expose kidnappers, informants and drug peddlers suspected of aiding criminal operations, noting that local leaders were working closely with security agencies by supplying actionable intelligence.
One of the protesters, Mrs. Doris Kpebughe, lamented that fear of abduction had forced many women to abandon farming activities, thereby undermining livelihoods and threatening the education of their children.