It is another day of mourning, anger and anxiety in Enugu as gun men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have allegedly kill six persons in Enugu communities.
The incident which happened at Opanda, Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu state around 1am on Wednesday has once again worsened the security situation in the community and its environs.
Opanda community, our reporter gathered is an agrarian community known for production of cassava, yams and other cash crops.
According to our source, Mrs. Caroline Igboke, “we were sleeping inside camp when suddenly I started hearing shouting from a neighbouring residents. When I came out, I saw the man holding his stomach, shouting please help me. Please help me.”
Narrating further, Igboke stated that ” some people came out and we discovered that the man has been shot at his stomach, leg and hand. Some men came and carried him on a bike and took him to a nearby hospital.”
Another eye witness, Mr. Jude Nnabuchi told WITHIN NIGERIA that ” I didn’t sleep last night. Fulani herdsmen killed my good friend this early morning. They invaded their settlement near Obinna river and shot him dead. His neighbours who heard what was happening ran but he could run, they have entered his house and shot him several times on his head, making sure that he was dead. As I speak with you now, my uncle and his children are no where to be found. We don’t know whether they are dead or alive. Everybody is afraid to go back to the farm settlement to know how many people that were still alive or dead.”
Explaining further, Mr. Nnabuchi told our reporter that ” as I am talking to you now, more three persons have been killed here within two four hours ago. One woman who was coming back from Onitsha, Anambra state was also killed here on Tuesday. The woman was shot dead by suspected Fulani herdsmen.”
Asked what brought about the recent killings, Mr. Nnabuchi narrated that ” nobody can say exactly what prompted the recent killings but last month, we heard that one of the leaders of Fulani herdsmen was allegedly murdered by some youths in the community over alleged farm destruction by their cattle. Since the alleged killing of the leader, we have been sleeping with our one eye opened.”
However, when WITHIN NIGERIA reporter visited the community on Wednesday morning, there was a mark of confusion and frustration written on the faces of residents.
Our reporter equally saw that there was no presence of security outfits in the community. The Army, police and neighborhood Watch check points in the community have been dismantled.
When asked about the traditional ruler of the community, our reporter equally gathered that the community has no traditional ruler, neither do they have President-General.
” This community is like ” no man’s land.” There is no traditional ruler here. We are part of Ukpabi but the community doesn’t even see us as part of them. They don’t recognize us as one of them.”
At Adani, a neighbouring community to Opanda, also in Uzo-Uwani local government area, three corpses were also discovered at Duruga farm settlement suspected to have been killed by Fulani.
Though the identity of the victims couldn’t be ascertained at the press time, it was gathered that they were allegedly murdered by the Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday early morning.
A friend of one the surviving victims of the attack Chukwudi Ugwu told WITHIN NIGERIA that ” they invaded our farm settlement at about 12am. It was a terrible experience. They shot three persons dead. One of them has been admitted at an undisclosed hospital.”
Asked what has brought about the recent incident, Mr. Ugwu stated that “we heard that one Fulani man was allegedly killed on his way to Opanda last month. We are thinking that that was what brought about all these series of killings in our community.”
However, when contacted on phone, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Daniel Ndukwe couldn’t pick up his call for confirmation.
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