*We are not coming to help you, IPOB tells the Eha-Amufu community
The human rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a civic organization, has condemned the neglect of communities in Enugu State by Nigerian security agencies amid the incessant invasion by armed herdsmen.
A statement by the Intersociety released on Thursday and entitled "Enugu Under Siege By Jihadist Herdsmen As Army’s ‘Operation Golden Dawn’ Goes Deaf And Dumb," called on the governors of the old Eastern region to immediately ensure that not less than 20 of the senior Muslim and non- Eastern military and police officers who are disproportionately deployed to the East are transferred out and replaced with 60% security chiefs who are indigenous Easterners.
Intersociety maintained that the 11 governors of Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Bayelsa must as a matter of urgency work together to ensure that the safety and security in the East are not subject to any form of ethno-religious sentiments to give the Eastern population a true sense of belonging.
According to the group, "the principal officers of the Nigerian Army responsible for the Army’s touted “Operation Golden Dawn” in the Southeast part of Eastern Nigeria have become deaf and dumb as Enugu goes up in flames ignited by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen.
"As a matter of fact, “Enugu State is no longer in the Hands of God”. The state, especially communities surrounding the State’s ancient Capital City has come under heavy and unchecked jihadist invasions by the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen.
"The invasions of the Capital of Eastern Nigeria; also the Christian Capital of the East are coming a few months after it was trended and widely streamed in the social media by some locals that “they saw a strange security helicopter dropping weapons of death to a group of persons with unknown tribal identities”, an allegation controversially dismissed by security and political establishments in the State.
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"However, by available pieces of investigative intelligence, Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen have since 10th Nov 2022 or in the past two weeks invaded various parts of the State and ignited flames, fears, panics, blood and tears among the helpless Enugu communities and their defenseless rural dwellers leading to an unspecified number of deaths and injuries.
"This is to the extent that several keys and heavily motorized inter-state and federal roads and communal bypasses have become no-go areas and death traps. For two weeks, the ‘Four-Corner’ part of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, the Ugwuogo-Nike-Opi Nsukka part of Enugu, the Nsude part of Old Enugu-Onitsha Road, and the Eke-Ezeagu axis, among others have come under severe invasions and attacks by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen.
"Several communities in Ezeagu, Udi, Nkanu West, Nkanu East, Okpanku area of Ani-Nri, Uzo-Uwani, Isi-Uzo, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Igbo-Etiti, Ngwo part of Enugu East, Enugu West, Oji River, among others have been invaded and attacked or come under serious threats of invasion and attacks by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen; thereby throwing them into a nightmare."
The group added, "In the past two weeks under reference, over 20 or as much as 30 defenseless passengers have been abducted-with scores shot and critically injured, if not killed. On Tuesday, 15th Nov 2022, at least three persons who are indigenes/friends of Nsude in Udi were abducted by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen dressed in military camouflage and armed with automatic rifles.
"The Jihadist abductors also covered their faces with Arabic textiles. Three days ago, on 21st Nov 2022, the abducted victims have not been freed and their friend, the car owner is still on admission at a private hospital in Onitsha over gunshot wounds sustained while trying to escape with his car. Eha-Amufu Community in the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of the State has been under bloody attack and butchery by the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen.
"This is to the extent that since Monday, Nov 21, 2022, 20-25 defenseless locals, all Christians; have been slaughtered and several dwelling houses burned down or destroyed. Many of those communities under threats of invasion and attack have been sleeping with one eye closed while several others especially young women of non-menopausal age brackets have fled to avoid being raped to death or having their womanhood defiled or abused.
"The slain and the maimed victims of the Jihadists’ attacks include aging, women, and children. The invasions, attacks, killings, human person degradation and property destruction in the affected communities have been perpetrated by the Jihadists with little or no counter-responses from Army and Police; except in minutest cases by local vigilantes."
"Same is the case with Ugwuogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka Road. Intersociety had several times investigated and found that the military and other security forces and their principal officers deployed in the East, particularly the South-East are aiding and abetting the genocidal activities of the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in the East including their jihadist incursions into the Region’s forests, bushes, and farmlands.
"It is no longer new to observe that the only operational mandate of the deployed security forces and their commanders in the East is to “murderously go after those involved in “Biafra Matters” including the unarmed and the uninvolved.
"A former Army Chief of Northern Muslim extraction had in 2021 charged soldiers “to take the war to South-East villages and communities where soldiers are attacked or killed”. Since then, hell has been let loose on defenseless Easterners/South-Easterners and their properties while the same military turn total blind eyes to genocidal activities of the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in the East; cuddling and breastfeeding them."
Southeast Governors
Intersociety also accused the Southeast governors of " using diversionary and deceitful tactics against their people" by constantly denying or debunking attacks on Southeast communities by the Jihadists.
"This is to the extent they constantly pressurize traditional rulers and religious leaders and their political subordinates not to link such invasions and attacks to Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, but to “Unknown Gunmen” or “ESN/IPOB” terrorists.
"The Govs’ lame-duck position is also extended to “intelligence” being acted upon by the commanders of the deployed security agencies-branded “ESN/IPOB Toxins”. Today, the beginning of wisdom for a victim of Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen abduction or attack in the South-East is changing the narrative of his or her abduction or attack to that “perpetrated by Unknown Gunmen/ESN/IPOB”.
The Intersociety statement was signed by the group's principal officers - Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, and Chidinma Udegbunam.
ESN will not defend the Eha-Amufu community -IPOB
Meanwhile the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has blamed the leaders of the Eha-Amufu community for the incessant attacks on the community by killer herdsmen, saying that the IPOB's ESN will not come to their defense for allegedly spurning and sabotaging the group's initial efforts to provide security for the communities.
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However, IPOB said that such a community will answer to it at the appropriate time for exposing their people to attacks.
In a statement by the IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, the group said, "The attention of the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of the great indefatigable liberator Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu has been drawn to the constant and numerous massacre of scores of our people in Aguamede community Ehamufu in Isiuzo Council area of Enugu (Enugwu) state.
"The traditional ruler, President General, and youth leader of Ehamufu and its environs contributed in a big measure to the Fulani massacre in their community. These people joined hands with the Nigerian Government and chased ESN operatives out of their community in their desperation to ensure that Fulani take over the community.
"ESN operatives were moved out and Fulani came in to massacre them. ESN will not come again because you allowed Fulani terrorists to come. ESN was established and sent a batch of ESN security operatives into their communities but ESN was attacked by the community and many ESN members and IPOB members were killed and detained by the community and youths of the community. The communities involved have now discovered scores of dead bodies who were massacred by Fulani jihadists and foot soldiers.
"Any community that pushes ESN operatives out of their place should not expect ESN operatives back to their home and they should wait for IPOB to ask them questions at the appropriate time.
IPOB further said, "The Nigeria military and police have failed to respond because they are behind and in support of the attacks by the Fulani terrorists who are massacring innocent citizens of Enugu(Enugwu) State. We are not sure that they are not directly responsible for the massacres and mayhem witnessed by our people in Enugwu Province.
"IPOB and ESN are not coming for them but let the Agendist and Nigeria army and police not blame ESN for not coming to the defense of our people in that area of our land. Our men in the communities were massacred in cold blood without any reason and we promise them that Fulani will take over their land in no distant time, then that ESN will revenge their death.
"IPOB is making it open to ESN operatives not to move to these communities in Enugu State because we cannot afford to defend them while they don't want us. Fulani must continue eliminating them because nobody is challenging them. Biafrans you must ask the traditional Ruler why they removed ESN from their place
The Eastern Security Network, ESN is the security arm of the IPOB, a group championing self-determination for the people of Eastern Nigeria.
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