The shooting echoed the\u00a02020 Lekki Toll Gate crackdown,\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0reinforcing youth fears that protest draws faster force than crime does deterrence.<\/p>\n More than five years later, in the university town of Ekpoma, the same lesson resurfaced: protest can still be met with bullets, even when citizens are demanding protection from terrorism.<\/p>\n A Protest Born of Fear, Not Politics<\/p>\n The protest in Ekpoma, located 50 miles northeast of Benin City (the state capital), was triggered by a surge in abductions by Fulani Terrorists, including the abduction of\u00a0two medical doctors,\u00a0<\/a>the killing of one captive, and the seizure of passengers from a commercial bus.<\/p>\n Residents say the violence had reached a breaking point.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was not about politics or elections,\u201d one protester told TruthNigeria, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. \u201cPeople came out because kidnappings had become normal. We felt abandoned but the message has been received, if you come out to protest, you may not go home.\u201d<\/p>\n During the protest, Osagie Abraham, a 32-year-old unarmed demonstrator, was shot by a soldier. Police authorities say he survived and is receiving treatment at a local hospital.<\/p>\n The shooting revived memories many youths say they never forgot.<\/p>\n \u201cOne bullet is enough to end a movement,\u201d the protester said. \u201cThat is what Lekki taught us. We hoped things had changed. Security operatives with a mandate to protect, kill instead.\u201d<\/p>\n Terror Close to Home<\/p>\n In Auchi, about 30 miles north of Ekpoma, the violence had already turned fatal.<\/p>\n Fulani terrorists abducted two brothers from their home. One of them, Abu Momoh, was later killed. The other, a medical doctor, remains in captivity.<\/p>\n Daily life has been disrupted across the region. Students avoid evening classes. Farmers abandon fields. Families relocate to cities they believe are safer.<\/p>\n Aigbokhan Oseremen, an Edo-based activist, rejected official descriptions of the attackers as ordinary herders.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are not herders,\u201d Oseremen said. \u201cThey are Fulani terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrailer loads of these terrorists are brought into Edo State regularly,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen people are settled with no jobs, no accountability, and access to weapons, kidnapping becomes a business.\u201d<\/p>\n Oseremen said armed groups have established permanent settlements deep inside forest areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have wives, children, and camps,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom those forests, they come out to attack villages. This is not a random crime. It is organized.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Youths Stayed Silent After 2020<\/p>\n After the Lekki shootings, Nigeria\u2019s youth movement collapsed almost overnight. Organizers were arrested or intimidated. Court cases stalled. No senior official was convicted.<\/p>\n \u201cYouths didn\u2019t stop caring,\u201d said Martins Otse, a Nigerian activist. \u201cThey stopped believing the state would tolerate protest.<\/p>\n Otse described what he called a pattern.<\/p>\n![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMAGE-2-map-showing-Auchis-location-1024x512.jpg\")
Map showing Auchi\u2019s location | Photo Credit: Sahara reporters. <\/p>\n