Suspected Herders Kill 3, Injure Others In Fresh Attacks On Enugu Communities Despite Military, Police Presence

As many as three people have been killed in Enugu communities.

The victims confirmed dead in fresh attacks in Eha-Amufu communities of Agu-Amede, Mgbuji and Umujiovu-Eboh in Southeast Nigeria.

The communities are in the Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State.

The killing has brought the number of people allegedly killed by armed herdsmen in the communities in the last week to 20.

SaharaReporters reliably gathered that two of the victims were killed in Umujiovu Eboh on Friday while one other person was killed on Sunday. His son who was said to be going to the farm with him before the attack was reportedly macheted but narrowly escaped death.

The recent attacks come despite the deployment of military and police personnel to the affected communities following a recent invasion that left 15 people including women, children and the aged killed.

A community source told SaharaReporters that the security personnel deployed to the affected communities have refused to go to the villages where the armed militias have camped. According to the source, the armed men also launch attacks from such villages.

The sources lamented that even on Monday (today) morning, there was information that there would be another attack. "Our people are no longer going to farm. All the roads to farmlands have become danger zones. How will our people harvest their crops? This is how last year's attack started," the source said.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the bodies of 15 people killed during invasions on penultimate Saturday, Monday and Tuesday had been recovered while five were still missing.

It reported that armed herdsmen had declared 'war' on the agrarian communities of Agu-Amede, Mgbuji and Eboh in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo local government area of the state, killing and sacking villages.

Apart from killing people, the assailants have also destroyed property worth millions of naira.

SaharaReporters had reported that 14 villages in Mgbuji and Agu-Amede communities were sacked, displacing thousands of people from their homes.

The spokesman for the Agu-Amede community, Chief Ogenyi Odo, confirmed the attacks to SaharaReporters on Monday morning.

Odo regretted that the despite the presence of security agents, which are obviously inadequate, the armed militiamen have continued to kill.

"We are at the mercy of Fulani armed herdsmen. Our people are afraid of going to the farm. So many have been forced into (camps for) IDPs."

He said, "how can soldiers and policemen be here and these terrorists will have unhindered access into our communities, massacre defenceless residents and disappear? Nobody has been apprehended or even killed among them."

Efforts of SaharaReporters to speak with the state police public relations officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe on the recent attacks were unsuccessful as he could not immediately be reached for comments on the telephone.