Fulani herdsmen invade Enugu community

· Scores feared dead, hundreds flee

 

Rampaging Fulani herds­men on Sunday night stormed Ukpabi Nim­bo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State and killed scores of residents.

The Fulani herdsmen were re­portedly bearing AK 47 rifles, ma­chetes and other dangerous weap­ons which they used freely on the hapless villagers.

The State Police Command admitted that five people were killed by the Fulani herdsmen in the attack on the village. But the community leaders and fleeing residents said that the death toll was much higher than the figures announced by the security agents.

Five bodies of the victims of the attack were reportedly brought and deposited by the po­lice at the Bishop Shanahan Hos­pital, Nsukka, on Monday morn­ing.

The AUTHORITY learnt that the herdsmen’s invasion came two days after security agents alerted the residents of the impending

attack. It was gathered that security personnel were detailed to the area, but their presence did not avert the killings by the herdsmen.

An eyewitness said that the herdsmen, who were armed with dangerous weapons, struck in the community late on Sunday night, carrying out their killings and burn­ing of houses till Monday morning.

According to him, they shot the village men with their rifles whilst inflicted machete cuts on women and children.

Also, a survivor who fled the scene of the attack, said that the herdsmen did not spare anyone and property on sight in Ukpabi, Nim­bo in Uzo-Uwani Local Govern­ment Area of Enugu State.

He said: “We woke up in the ear­ly hours of Monday to see hundreds of the Fulani militants armed with AK-47 rifles, machetes, charms and other sophisticated weapons, burn­ing houses and shooting anyone they found.

“We started hearing gunshots and people screaming in the morn­ing. I decided to find out what the noise was about with some resi­dents. In fact, we didn’t go far before we saw people dressed like Fulani militants killing people like animals.”

“As soon as they noticed us from afar they started chasing us. As we ran for safety, we tried to warn oth­ers to run for their lives. At the mo­ment, I don’t know the whereabouts of my relations and friends.”

Another resident said that the villagers were fleeing to the neigh­bouring communities of Nkpologu and Uvuru for safety while sever­al others were heading for Nsukka.

The Transitional Commit­tee Chairman of Uzo-Uwani, Lo­cal Government Area, Hon. Cor­nell Onwubuya, said that despite all the efforts he made to stop the at­tack, especially pleas with the Fula­ni herdsmen from carrying out their threats, they went ahead to unleash mayhem on the people.

The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Am­araizu, who confirmed the inci­dent, said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nwaodibo Ekechuk­wu, was on ground with other secu­rity agents to bring the situation un­der control.

The Authoriy Newspaper