Armed men numbering over 100 and
suspected to be Fulani herders with their collaborators from neighboring Benue State killed seven people including two leaders of the local vigilante group in another attack on the Ebor community in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State on Sunday.
Sunday's incident came after 25 people were killed in a similar attack on the community over a week ago by armed men allegedly collaborating with the Agala community in Benue State.
Residents of Ebor, Mgbuji, and Umujiovu communities have fled their homes, and businesses in Eha-Amufu town have shut down, following the attacks.
A lawyer and community leader, Mr. Festus Ede, confirmed to SaharaReporters on Monday that seven people were killed in the attack on Sunday.
He said 32 people have been killed in the Ebor community alone in the past 10 days.
"On December 8, 25 people were killed. On December 18, seven people were killed. Our community is helpless now. Exactly one week today, our brother and governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State, Hon Chijioke Edeoga, and some soldiers visited the war-torn communities - Mgbuji, Umujiovu, and Ebor.
"He had pleaded with the people that remained in communities to call their people to return home. The commander of the soldiers in Eha-Amufu, Lt. JC Ibe who was in their company, also reassured the people of security.
"Unfortunately, when the people who fled their homes had started returning with the assurances that Nigerian security agencies would provide them security, this Sunday's attack came.
"Surprisingly, Lt. Ibe, who hails from Imo State and was the commander of troops in Eha-Amufu was removed and replaced with one Capt. Idris M.P. Regrettably, yesterday's attack came barely 48 hours after Idris assumed duty in Eha-Amufu."
Another community leader, Samuel Ogbuabor, told SaharaReporters that soldiers and policemen came hours after the attack and killings and told "our people that they won't fight our war. The security agents refused to engage the assailants. Worse still, they didn't enter our community while the attack lasted."
Ogbuabor lamented that earlier the community invited operatives of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the security arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protect them, but, “soldiers and security agencies who could not provide security for the people descended on them. They (security agencies) killed some and they left the community yet the security agencies could not protect the people."
In a recent interview with SaharaReporters, a security source blamed the state government for negligence.
"These assailants had sacked over 40 villages and settlements. Now they are attacking the hometowns. This is the harvesting period and people have been forced out of their homes and communities and the government is paying lip service to this.
"These people are coming from communities in Benue State and the government is aware of it.
The invaders who outnumbered the soldiers and vigilantes, launched another attack on the Ebor community, this early Sunday morning.
"I have seen bodies of less than 10 but I can't give specific figures now. We are still in the bushes combing and searching for more people killed.
What is happening here is unfortunate. It is exactly what they did to the Benue State people. Probably they want to create a vast land joining Benue communities they had already sacked and call it their land."
"From the report I received, the armed herdsmen and their collaborators from Benue State communities launched the attack around 5:30 am to 6 am this morning. Before we got there, several people had been killed.
“We are few soldiers here and where we are based is a little bit far from the communities. There are no other security operatives from other security agencies here in Eha-Amufu except local vigilantes. They (vigilantes) first engaged them but the invading armed herdsmen outnumbered them," the source said.
The Enugu State Police Command has not reacted to the development.
Eha-Amufu, the third-largest city with the second-largest market in Enugu State has been under attack by armed herders since October 2022.
Crime