In a bold show of outrage, women from 14 communities in Amukpe District, Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, took to the streets to protest worsening insecurity, calling down traditional curses on suspected kidnappers, drug merchants and other criminal actors.
The protest, which unfolded at the Amukpe Roundabout, was driven largely by elderly women who declared that persistent abductions and violent incidents had pushed their communities to the brink.
Women from Ikwegwru, Okirigwre, Amukpe, Ibada, Eko, Igbeku, Adagbrasa-Amukpe and neighbouring villages participated in the demonstration.
Amid chants and solemn rituals, they symbolically denounced those allegedly responsible for terrorising the area.
Community leaders described the action as a culturally sanctioned move intended both to defend their people and to draw urgent attention from security authorities.
Traditional rites and prayers formed part of the procession, serving as a stern warning to criminals and their alleged accomplices.
Among prominent figures at the event were 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.
Addressing reporters, Asagba said recurring kidnappings and violent attacks left traditional rulers with little choice but to support the women’s recourse to ancestral practices.
He noted that invoking curses has long been embedded in local tradition as a means of confronting grave wrongdoing and restoring order, stressing that the action targeted individuals who endanger lives and destabilise communal peace.
Eruteyan also expressed concern over what he termed a growing climate of fear, alleging that kidnappings now occur both in daylight and at night.
He stated that community leaders had resolved to expose kidnappers, informants and suspected drug dealers believed to be aiding criminal networks, adding that they were collaborating with security agencies by sharing intelligence to facilitate arrests.
One of the protesters, Mrs. Doris Kpebughe, said the security crisis had forced many women to abandon farming activities for fear of abduction, thereby disrupting household incomes and affecting their children’s schooling.
