At least four residents of Ikpakpara village in Agu-Amed, Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzu local government area of Enugu State, have been killed by suspected herdsmen.
Several others are still missing as search parties have been launched to recover the missing residents, dead or alive.
Ogbuzuru Ebe, a community leader who confirmed the recent attack to SaharaReporters on Monday by phone, revealed that the attack occurred on Sunday evening.
Although the details of the attack were still unfolding, Ebe said, “We just recovered four bodies of people killed on their farms. We are looking for seven people who are still missing after the attack.”
The attack is the latest in a series of violent assaults by suspected herdsmen in Eha-Amufu, which have resulted in the deaths of scores of farmers and widespread sexual violence against women.
Community leaders have expressed frustration and desperation, lamenting the government’s inability to prevent these attacks or engage the assailants.
Residents have accused the local government chairman of not doing enough to support security efforts in the area. The community is calling on the government to take concrete actions to prevent further attacks and protect the lives of the people.
This incident has reignited concerns about the security situation in Enugu State and the need for urgent action to address the farmer-herder crisis.
Meanwhile, the attack comes barely 24 hours after the state police commissioner, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, visited Eha-Amufu in what he described as routine surveillance and confidence-building patrols to rural communities.
The commissioner was accompanied on the patrol by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, DCP Gregory Itobore; Udenu Area Commander, ACP Bernard Amaga Ukwa; heads of tactical and operational units; and other senior officers of the Command.
Efforts by IGBERE TV to reach the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to a text message seeking comment.
