How suspected herders killed four Enugu farmers within 24 hours

Gunmen, suspected to be herders, have killed four farmers in separate attacks in Isi-Uzo Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, South-east Nigeria.

The attacks occurred between Friday and Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.

How the attacks happened

Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that some hoodlums killed three farmers on their farmlands on Friday morning in Mgbuji Community, Eha-Amufu, in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of the state.

Apart from the deceased victims, several others were said to have been severely injured during the attack.

One of the victims was killed inside his rice farm.

A video clip showed him lying beside a basket of cassava which he had harvested before he was attacked.

A community leader, Ogenyi Odoh, spoke to reporters on Friday evening and appealed to the Nigerian authorities to intervene urgently in the situation.

“Today three people who went to their farms were killed in a most savagery brutality. What is their offence? They went to their farms, and while they were on their farms, herdsmen entered the farms and started killing them,” Mr Odoh said.

The community leader expressed surprise that the attacks by suspected herders resumed in the area after the Nigerian army reportedly withdrew soldiers from the community.

“Only about six soldiers are in the entire Eha-Amufu with hundreds of kilometres border with Benue State.

“Our vigilantes are working, but there is not much they can do. The herders are armed with AK-47 rifles,” he stated.

Another farmer killed in fresh attack

Barely 24 hours after, tragedy struck again on Saturday in Ebor, a community in the council area, when suspected herders killed yet another farmer in his farmland.

The victim was identified as Igwe Nweke, an indigene of the Ebor community.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained some video clips which showed many indigenes of the community – both young and the elderly- condemning the killings and frequent attacks by suspected herders in the area.

The indigenes said the latest victim went missing after going to harvest his yams on Saturday before his body was recovered on Sunday by youths of the Ebor community.

They were seen in one of the clips conveying the victim’s corpse in a tricycle to the palace of their traditional ruler.

However, they were informed that the traditional ruler had travelled outside the community.

‘Security operatives have abandoned us’

The leader of the group of people conveying the victim’s body addressed a crowd of shocked indigenes who assembled in the area.

“Here is the corpse of our brother, which we discovered on the farm. He was killed by herdsmen. His name is Igwe Nweke,” he said, pointing at the corpse inside the tricycle.

“We are to see the traditional ruler and to show him the corpse of our brother. This is what we saw in our farmland because we cannot do anything or retaliate without getting permission from our head in charge of the Ebor Autonomous Community,” the man who did not identify himself said in Igbo language.

Referring to the Friday attack, he said, “Our people, you have seen how it is happening. Ekele Nweke was shot yesterday, and his brother, Igwe Nweke, is now shot dead.

He explained that they decided to show the corpse of the slain man so that government will not blame the youths if they decide to avenge the killings.

“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,” he said.

“Since these renewed attacks started, we haven’t seen Nigerian security agencies intervene.”

Traditional ruler speaks

Addressing the indigenes on behalf of the traditional ruler, the traditional Prime Minister of the community, Joseph Ohabuenyi, said the killings and attacks were unprovoked.

“We received information about renewed Fulani attacks on Saturday in our farmlands. At first, we recovered body of one person who was shot in the hand. Later, we heard that there was another person who had not been seen. Since yesterday (Saturday), 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,” he said.

“Government should help us, we are dying. If you leave us, we don’t know what will happen next. Everyone alive 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.”

Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking his comments.

Not the first time

Mgbuji and other neighbouring communities in Eha-Amufu have been experiencing frequent attacks by suspected herders for some time now.

Following multiple deadly attacks Eha Amufu Communities in November 2022, the then Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, through the then Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Simon Ortuanya, asked heads of security agencies in the state to deploy more personnel to the affected communities to prevent further attacks.

The then governor said the state government would meet with the leaders of the herders in the area “to decisively resolve” the issues causing the attacks.

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Mr Ugwuanyi, subsequently released N10 million for the immediate needs of victims who have been taking refuge in some internally displaced persons camps in the communities.

But the attacks have continued, despite the assurances by security agencies in the state as well as the then governor.