Again, Enugu farmer killed in fresh herdsmen attack

Tension mounted in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo local government Area of Enugu State on Sunday as the body of another farmer killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen was recovered in his farm.

The victim was identified as Igwe Nwa Eke, from Ebor Community in Eha-Amufu.

PUNCH Metro reports that no fewer than three farmers were confirmed killed in the Mgbuji community in Eha-Amufu, by the same suspected herdsmen in renewed attacks on Friday.

Several others were also reported wounded in the attacks.
The latest incident, our correspondent gathered from locals, happened on Saturday.

In a video clip seen by our correspondent on Sunday, residents of Ebor Community could be seen lamenting their abandonment by government and security agencies while the carnage exacerbated.

The victim brought home in a tricycle as seen in the video had several matchet cuts and three bullet wounds.
According to voices in the video clip, he was killed inside his farm where he went to harvest his yam crop on Saturday but his body was recovered on Sunday by youths of the Ebor community.

Suspected Fulani militias had sacked over 20 farm settlements in Eha-Amufu communities and killed no fewer than 123 local farmers between 2019 and 2022, and destroyed hundreds of properties worth millions of naira.
Addressing people in the video, one of the leaders of the community said, “This is the corpse of our brother we found in the farm killed by Fulani herdsmen. His name is Igwe Nweke. We have come to the traditional ruler to show him the corpse of our brother killed. This is what we saw in our farmland because we cannot do anything or retaliate without getting permission from the authorities controlling the Ebor autonomous community led by the traditional ruler.

“Our people, you have seen how it is unfolding. Ekele Nweke was shot yesterday, and his brother, Igwe Nweke, is now shot dead. Why we are showing this is for people to see what is going on in our Ebor autonomous community in case our youths decide to revenge. Look at what was done to us without provocation.

“We have been angered and whatever we can do to ensure that Fulani herdsmen don’t continue killing our people, we are ready to do that… We cannot allow invaders to continue killing our people while government and security agencies pay no attention. Those who come to our community are now the ones killing us. We are here to show the monarch what happened before going to the morgue but he is not around.

“We were told he went to Enugu. If we take revenge, the government and security agencies should not blame us. Since these renewed attacks started, we haven’t seen Nigerian security agencies intervene. In short, prior to this recent attack, the authorities withdrew soldiers in Eha-Amufu strategic places. Probably, the military authorities are in collusion with the attackers.”

Responding on behalf of the traditional ruler, the Prime Minister, Chief Joseph Ohabuenyi, decried the attacks which he described as “unprovoked” as the victims were shot in their farms.
He said, “We received information of the renewed Fulani attacks on Saturday in our farmlands. In the beginning, we saw one person who was shot in the hand. Later, we heard that there was another person who had not been seen. Since yesterday, we have been looking for him.

“This morning, we gathered people and formed search parties to go to the farms. Now, we have seen the corpse of one of our brothers that were shot on Saturday. We are crying so that the whole world will hear what is happening to our people. They are killing us like animals. Government should help us, we are dying. If you leave us, we don’t know what will happen next. Every living must go out to look for what he will eat. We will not stop going to our farms to harvest our crops and find food.”

The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said he had no such report when PUNCH Metro contacted him on Sunday.

“I don’t have any reports on such incidents yet,” he said.