…they came with sophisticated weapons- Town Union president
Ebonyi state governor, David Nweze Umahi, Tuesday, has charged security agencies in the state to fish out alleged herders who attacked four communities in Ishielu local government area, of Ebonyi state, which led to the death of over 15 persons and left scores injured.
Umahi who was visibly furious over the ugly incident, said this during his visit to the affected communities.
He said that the herdsmen settling in the local government, vacated the communities on Sunday night before the attack on Monday evening.
He directed security operatives to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime and make sure they face the law.
The Governor called for calm, assuring the youths of Nkalaha, Obegu, Amaezu and Umuhuali communities, where the attack took place that justice must be done.
He said: “I got a very shocking news this afternoon about the attack on about four communities of Nkalaha, Obegu, Amaezu and Umuhuali in Ishielu local government area of the state by AK-47 herdsmen that came yesterday and killed 15 members of this communities.
“I remembered that about a year ago, we had incident of killing of two herdsmen within this same location and immediately the security agencies, the local government Chairman and the community leaders all came together to condemn the attack and the killing and we immediately asked the security agencies to fish out the people that did that and they did fish them out and as we talk, they are standing trial in Ebonyi state and the community and security agencies appeased the herdsmen and made peace with them.
“And so, it is very shocking that overnight, all the herdsmen in Ishielu local government vacated Ishielu local government which means that the local herdsmen in Ishielu are part of the conspiracy in the killing of our people. They vacated despite all efforts my government, the governors of south east and security agencies have been making to give them full protection not only in the state but in entire south east.
“We feel so sad that this kind of thing should happen to Ebonyi state, we feel so worried for our country Nigeria and we are short of words.
“Good enough, we have some traces of the sponsors, we have the traces of those who came here. I will not disclose it but I am going to escalate the identities of the people to the highest authorities and we wait to see what they will do but we condemn this attack, it is not only happening in Ebonyi state and this country. If it is allowed to go this way, it is capable of generating very serious civil war among the nation of Nigeria.
“I want to demand from the Security Chiefs to fish out this people because they are well known, they should fish them out let them face the wrath of the law. It has happened in so many places and they were not fished out and that’s why this kind of thing is happening. I want to appeal to these communities be assured that we will get them. We have their identities, we have their connections, we have the contact. Please stay calm, don’t take laws into your hands, two wrong can never make a right so that you give us the opportunity to fish them out”.
Town Union President of Nkalagu autonomous community, Omebe Joseph Chigbo, said the Fulani herders invaded the communities with sophisticated weapons on a broad day light.
He said more than 15 people where killed and that they didn’t have any problem with the herders who they allowed to settle in their area.
“It is a very sad situation, and we can’t think right at this moment. I don’t know what their problem was. How would I know that in the night strangers living in your place suddenly left, and the next news you got the next day was a massacre, how will I know what caused their wicked act. There has not been any situation where by we got into any serious issue with them.
“We have been living peacefully, suddenly we woke up with these corpses as a gift. Personally when I counted the number of people killed, they were about 16 before my emotions I couldn’t hold my emotions anymore” he stated.