Southern Kaduna Farmers March Barefoot with Faces Painted Black, Demand Action Over Deadly Herders’ Attacks

Farmers from Southern Kaduna took to the streets barefoot on Saturday, their faces painted black in a symbolic act of mourning and protest against ongoing attacks by armed herders. The demonstrators, mostly women, marched from several villages—including Aribi, Kenyi, Kutaho, Kabara, Kushe, Dogonkurmi, Katugal, Nkojo, and Kurmin Jibrin—to the palace of the Chief of Koro, His Highness Yohanna Akaito, in Kurmin Jibrin, Kagarko Local Government Area.

Clad in black and joined by men and children, the farmers carried leaves in their mouths and on their heads as they walked under the hot sun. Their procession, despite earlier attempts by authorities to stop previous protests on Wednesday and Friday, expressed deep frustration over the destruction of farmlands and repeated attacks by herders.

Upon arriving at the palace, the protesters forced their way in and pleaded with the traditional ruler to urgently intervene by appealing to government and security agencies to protect farming communities. They warned that if no action was taken, they would continue their demonstrations until they received a meaningful response.

In a video obtained by *SaharaReporters*, the protesters were seen singing a sorrowful hymn: “Our Father in heaven, we have come before You; please wipe away our tears.” One of the women addressing the monarch spoke through tears, describing the hardship faced by her community.

“Your Majesty, we come as widows, orphans, and suffering sons and daughters of Koro land,” she said. “Our farmlands have been destroyed, our crops eaten by cattle. When we try to defend our farms, they attack us with machetes. They are killing our husbands and our children. We have nowhere else to turn but to you.”

She appealed to the Chief to help restore peace and justice to the area, lamenting that their livelihoods had been wiped out. The protest marked another desperate call from Southern Kaduna’s farming communities for protection and justice amid ongoing violence.