It was another episode of pain, sorrow and blood in Nimbo, an agrarian community in Uzo-uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State as armed herders stormed the village, killing four people in the process.
The incident occurred at Ugwuijoro village, where some of the villagers had gathered to mourn one of their dead. Many other villagers were injured during the attack.
A viral video sighted, yesterday morning, showed a deserted community with some bodies lying lifeless in the pool of their own blood, while some chairs and tables could be seen scattered in the compound where the mourners had gathered. A voice in the trending video described how the invaders entered the community when they were mourning one of their dead and took the villagers by surprise and shot sporadically at them.
Sources in the community identified the dead as Simon Ugwu, Chukwuebuka Oruku, Julius Ogbonna Odiegwu and Gabriel Ezea. The community is currently deserted as villagers are still afraid of further attacks. Also, community leaders were reached by Daily Sun to react to the incident, but declined out of fear. A source, who pleaded anonymity, said a bus driver was also shot dead at Opanda, a community close to Nimbo, on Friday.
A source said herdsmen have set up many camps around Ugboda, Adani and Opanda, all in Uzo-uwani Local Government Area. He said this is because of the thick forests that dot the area. He said the absence of security personnel in Nimbo and some other areas where herders often wreak havoc has left the villagers abandoned to their fate.
He said: “The herders are still coming into Uzo-Uwani with their trailer loads of cattle, I don’t know who is giving them the morale. They have even started destroying farms with their animals. I don’t know what Uzo-Uwani people have done to deserve these inhuman treatments.”
Another indigene, who simply identified herself as Oluchi, said she saw the bodies of five people who were killed by the attackers, including a child of about two years old. She said attacks by herders across communities in the council area have been frequent in recent times. She equally regretted that security agencies were often deployed in the area only when there was an attack.
Another indigene, who pleaded that his name should not be mentioned for fear of being attacked, said the herders invaded the community and opened fire on the residents who were mourning a deceased person in Ugwuijoro, a village in the Nimbo community. The indigene said several others sustained gunshot injuries during the attack.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the development. He, however, said he would provide details of the attack in a statement which will be made available to the reporter later. In 2016, Fulani herders invaded Nimbo community, killed many and burnt houses.
Reacting to the incident, the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial Zone, Chief Okey Ezea, described the attack as unprovoked, noting that residents of the area no longer sleep with both eyes closed.
He said: “This Sunday, April 28, I returned to Abuja after attending a thanksgiving Mass and reception in honour of Senator Chuka Utazi, at Nkpologwu. We had barely touched down when the news of the killings of four people at Nimbo, in the same Uzo-Uwani LGA, came to me. Only three weeks earlier, on April 7, some other people had been killed at Adani in the same Uzo-Uwani LGA.
“Since April 25, 2016, when no fewer than 46 innocent people were hacked to death at Nimbo, the entire Uzo-Uwani LGA has become a killing field. Kidnappings for ransom have also assumed a frightening dimension in the area. And residents no longer sleep with their eyes closed for fear of surprise attacks. Our people in Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State should, please, remain calm and not take the law into their own hands. Security operatives are enjoined to go after the assailants, even as the government strives to find a lasting solution to the orgy of killings in Uzo-Uwani LGA.”
He said he is currently interfacing with the Federal Government of Nigeria and liaising with his colleagues at the National Assembly to find a lasting solution to the problem. Also speaking, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, condemned the killing of villagers by suspected herders in Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Peter Obi, in a statement, yesterday, called on the government to show commitment to the security of the lives of Nigerians, anywhere they are. He recounted that the same fate befell Nimbo in 2016 when scores of villagers were killed in the same way, noting that the killings portend serious danger to Enugu State considering that Uzo- Uwani is the major agricultural belt in the state. He said security agencies in Nigeria must devise proactive measures to protect areas prone to attacks.
He said: “I just read reports of yet another senseless killing of harmless and defenceless villagers in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State over the weekend. I find the report very disturbing, especially recalling that these terror-mongers have continued to unleash terror on the people of Uzo-uwani over the years. Uzo Uwani is one of the areas I have closely related with and remained supportive to. I am pained by how these attacks have made the people of the area to live in constant fear of terror and death.
“I recall that in 2015, a hostel of one of the best secondary schools in that area, Mater Amabilis, Adani was completely razed by fire, and the students were without a hostel. When I read the reports, I quickly intervened, rebuilt the hostel and handed it over to the school management by March 2016. A month after that, the people of the Nimbo community, in the same Uzo Uwani, were senselessly murdered, and this attracted national attention.
“I attended their funeral alongside the former governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. I helped in consoling and rehabilitating the victims. My heart, again, goes out to the people of Uzo Uwani who have continued to experience these incessant attacks. We must not allow further spilling of the blood of innocent Nigerians under any guise. Enough must now be enough. The government should show visible commitment to the security of lives and property of the Nigerian people.
“Uzo Uwani local government area of Enugu State is the main agricultural bed of the state, and the continued insecurity there will have far-reaching consequences on food production in the state. Security agencies should be proactive, especially as this area has become prone to these attacks and take necessary actions to avert future occurrences.
“I sincerely commiserate with the people of Uzo-uwani who lost their loved ones to this cruel attack and, indeed, all the many victims of insecurity in our nation. May God Almighty grant eternal rest to the dead, grant quick recovery to the wounded and heal our land bleeding profusely from insecurity. We shall conquer.”
