BREAKING: Armed Herdsmen Attack Enugu Community, Kill Three Farmers, Injure Others
There is growing tension in Eha-Amufu, located in the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, following a brutal attack by armed herdsmen on the Mgbuji community. The attack, which occurred on Friday, resulted in the deaths of three farmers and left several others injured.
Video footage from the scene shows one of the victims slaughtered in his rice farm, a basket of cassava beside him that he had just harvested. The attack is part of a larger pattern of violence in the region. Between 2017 and 2022, suspected Fulani militias attacked over 20 farming settlements in Eha-Amufu, killing at least 123 people.
Ogenyi Odoh, the community leader, expressed deep concern, stating that the herdsmen killed three farmers and destroyed hectares of rice farms just days before they were due for harvest. The destruction of crops, particularly rice farms, began about two weeks ago and has escalated.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the wounded victims were turned away from the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUT Parklane) due to an ongoing workers’ strike.
Odoh called for immediate intervention from both the federal and Enugu state governments, noting that soldiers who were previously stationed in strategic locations in Eha-Amufu had been withdrawn without explanation before the attacks resumed.
He lamented, “Today, three people who went to their farms were killed in the most brutal way. What was their offense? They went to their farms, and while they were there, herdsmen entered and started grazing. When they were asked to leave, the next thing was that they were killed. As you can see in one of the video clips, one man was killed in his rice farm.”
Odoh also pointed out the damage done to the rice farms, saying, “You can see in the video the large rice farm that was maliciously destroyed by the herdsmen after four months of hard work.”
He further questioned the timing of the attacks, asking, “Is there a conspiracy? How is it that after the Nigerian Army withdrew soldiers from Eha-Amufu prior to the election, the attacks and killings resumed?”
He continued, “There are only about six soldiers in the entire Eha-Amufu, despite having a 100-kilometer border with Benue State. Our vigilantes are working, but they are limited in what they can do. The herders are armed with AK-47 rifles and several loaded magazines.”
In another troubling development, Odoh revealed that one of the victims who was brought to Parklane hospital was rejected, and doctors are now battling to save him at a private hospital, where an exorbitant fee of N3 million is required to begin treatment.
Efforts by Igbo History to contact the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, were unsuccessful. As of the time of filing this report, he had not responded to calls or a text message seeking his comments.
