Many people were on Tuesday killed when suspected herders invaded Agu-Amede, a farming community in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria’s south-east.
The suspected herders also razed several houses and injured many. The incident was said to have occurred at about 1 p.m on Tuesday.
A community leader, Augustine Odoh, who confirmed the attack to reporters on Tuesday, said the herders had been attacking the community since Saturday.
“They (herders) invaded first on Saturday, killed two people. Yesterday (Monday), they invaded the community again and killed eight people including our women and children. So many other people, about 25 of them were equally wounded. They are in the hospital; we don’t know how many people are going to survive,” Mr Odoh said.
He said the residents of the community were holding meetings to deliberate on how to carry corpses of those killed to Government House, Enugu, when the herders attacked again, on Tuesday.
Francis Ogbu, another community leader, said the herders attacked Iyi Asa, another village in the community during the Tuesday attack.
“This Tuesday morning, the herdsmen came again, shooting, burning houses and properties. As we speak, we do not know how many people have been killed,” he said.
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The suspected herders also attacked Mgbuji, another community in the council area, where several residents were said to have also been killed and houses razed.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has condemned the attacks on the communities.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this in a statement, after a close-door meeting with leaders of the communities on Tuesday at the Government House, Enugu.
The SSG said the state government would meet with the leaders of the herders in the area “to decisively resolve the contentious issues that might have led to the recent attack”.
He said Gov. Ugwuanyi has released N10 million for the immediate needs of the victims who have been taking refuge in some internally displaced persons camps in the communities.
Mgbuji and other neighbouring communities in Eha-Amufu have been experiencing frequent attacks by suspected herders for some time now.
Three people were killed by suspected herders in the community in June.
In July, suspected herders reportedly abducted seven residents of the same community and shot three others.
The then Commissioner of Police in the state, Abubakar Lawal, visited the area in June, alongside top officials of the State Security Service, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Airforce, as part of the efforts to end the attacks.
The attacks have continued despite assurances by the security agencies to “decisively tackle” them.
