By Raphael Ede
Fear has gripped residents of Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State following the gruesome murder of four members of the community by suspected armed herdsmen.
The victims, identified as Okeh Oruku, Okeh Chukwuebuka, Julius Odiegwu, and Gabriel Ezea, were reportedly killed late Sunday night.
Residents, who spoke to our correspondent, said the suspected herders attacked mourners at Ugwuijoro Nimbo community killing the four people instantly.
Tables and chairs could be seen scattered in the compound where the mourners had gathered, with lifeless villagers also seen in the pool of their blood in a video of the incident seen by our correspondent.
Although some residents said four slain corpses had been recovered, the community has formed search parties as so many people could not be accounted for after the attack.
One the residents, Chijoke Okunna told our correspondent that seven people were seriously inflicted with machete cuts.
The incident, Okunna said has left the community deserted as the residents abandoned their homes for fear of more attacks.
A member of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of attack, said a driver with the Enugu State Transport Company from the Nimbo community was also shot dead in the Opanda area three days earlier before the Sunday attack.
The source also revealed that there are many herdsmen camps around Ugboda, Adani, and Opanda in the council area because of the thick forests in those communities.
The source equally decried the absence of police presence in Nimbo and some of the flashpoints of the herders’ attacks, adding that the villagers had been abandoned to their fate.
“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,” the resident said.
A police source, who was a member of the rapid response team dispatched to the community, told our correspondent that the entire community had been deserted.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police has confirmed the attack.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the incident, however, could not immediately provide details.
He said, “Please I am putting something together on the attack. You get it soonest.”
As at the time of filing this report in the evening police were yet to provide details of the attack.
It should be recalled that in April 2016, Fulani herdsmen attacked the Nimbo community and killed at least 14 people.
The Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, visited the community on Monday and described the recent attack as unacceptable, vowing that the government would track down the attackers and and bring them to book.
“Let me assure you that enough is enough. I don’t think that we would allow our hospitality to be taken for granted. We expect people, who have come to mingle with us, to also play by the rules and laws of our land.
“I don’t think that we really do have any reason to exist as a government if we cannot guarantee the safety of our people because the primary purpose of government is to guarantee the security and the welfare of its citizens. So, a situation where our people would go to bed with their two eyes open must end. And it must end immediately.
“I want to assure you that we are going to deploy everything within our powers; and I mean everything: the law, the forces, everything that is necessary in order for us to guarantee your security.