Lagos now a killing ground for Benue’s daughters

Once upon a time, Lagos was the city of dreams, the land of opportunity, the magnet that drew thousands of young Nigerians from every corner of the country in search of a better life.
But for too many young women from Benue, that dream has turned into a nightmare, a nightmare painted in blood, silence, and injustice, IDOMA VOICE observed. 

Over the years, several young women from Benue State, mostly from poor families seeking greener pastures, have lost their lives under suspicious and brutal circumstances in Lagos. The pattern is chilling, the pain unbearable, and the silence deafening.

To many, it is the beating heart of Nigeria, a sprawling ocean of lights, ambition, and endless possibilities.
It is the city where dreams are born, fortunes made, and destinies rewritten.
But beneath its glossy skyline and the hum of progress lies a darker, quieter truth, one soaked in tears, injustice, and unspoken grief.

For dozens of young women from Benue State, daughters of toil and hope, Lagos has become a city of betrayal.
A city that promised them opportunity but handed them violence.
A city that welcomed them with open arms only to leave them lifeless in cold morgues, unnamed streets, and unmarked graves.

They come from the rustic calm of Otukpo, the humble villages of Oju, Obi, and Ogbadibo, the lush green lands of Igede, drawn by the bright promise of Lagos.
They arrive as house helps, hairdressers, students, or traders, carrying little more than faith, determination, and the prayers of mothers left behind.

Yet, time and again, the story ends the same way, with blood, silence, and hashtags demanding justice that never comes.
For these daughters of Benue, the megacity that should be a City of Dreams has turned into a Killing Field.

Joy Adole was barely out of her teenage years when she left Benue for Lagos. Like many others, she came with hope to work, to save, to go back to school. Instead, she was found dead in the home of her employer, Nene Steve, who claimed the girl had committed suicide.

But homicide detectives knew better. When they arrived at the scene, they found too many inconsistencies: the rope too close to the floor, the body still standing, bruises and lacerations on her skin, clear signs of torture and violence.

Joy was hired as a maid for a meagre ₦15,000 a month. She was reportedly owed wages and had been accused of stealing a sachet of noodles before her death. What followed was a beating that turned fatal. Rather than admit guilt, her employers allegedly staged the scene to look like suicide.
Now she’s gone, another young dreamer from Benue, cut in her prime.

Then came Deborah Okwori, fondly called “Porsche.” A beautiful, ambitious her life was just unfolding. Until her ex-lover, Lintex Ogale, allegedly took it away.

Her killing sent shockwaves through Benue and Lagos alike. Friends described Deborah as hardworking and full of promise. Instead, her story joined the growing list of Benue daughters whose lives were brutally snuffed out in Lagos.

And now, it’s Juliet, an Igede native from Ahuye, Akunda Ito, who met a gruesome death in United Estate, Sangotedo – Ajah, Lagos.

According to reports, Juliet was beaten to death by suspected agberos in the early hours of the morning. The motive remains unclear. Her body now lies in a morgue near Doreen Specialist Hospital, Thomas Estate, Ajah, as the community demands answers.

Some suspects have been arrested, but for many, that’s not enough. The Igede community, led by voices like John Enyi Ona, has called for mass protest and unrelenting pressure until justice is served.

“Let’s not keep quiet while evil thrives. Today it’s Juliet; tomorrow it could be another innocent soul,” said Ona.

From Bariga to Ajah, from domestic service to street violence, one thing is clear: the system has failed to protect these young women.
They leave Benue to work hard, to chase dignity through labour, but they meet violence, exploitation, and death.

Many of their killers walk free. Many of their cases are forgotten as soon as the news cycle moves on. Yet, every mother in Benue now watches her daughter pack for Lagos with trembling hands and whispered prayers.

Justice delayed, justice denied
The question that haunts every community meeting, every vigil, every online protest is simple, who will speak for these girls?
The police investigate, sometimes arrest, sometimes promise, but justice remains elusive.

Each case exposes the deep cracks in Nigeria’s conscience, how the poor are treated as disposable, how domestic workers are dehumanised, how violence against women is normalised, and how society often looks away.

Lagos was meant to be the city of hustle and hope. For Benue daughters, it’s increasingly becoming a killing field — a place where innocence meets brutality, where ambition meets oppression.

If nothing changes, Juliet will not be the last. Another girl will pack her bag, chasing survival, and end up as another headline.

Until justice is done, and systems change, Lagos will remain what it has sadly become, a death zone for Benue girls.