Suspected armed Fulani herdsmen have reportedly resumed deadly attacks in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, killing at least three farmers and leaving one person missing in the Mgbuji autonomous community.
The incident occurred on Monday, June 9, 2025, when the victims were ambushed on their farmlands, according to local sources.
Confirming the attack, a community leader, Mr. Ogenyi Samuel, expressed deep frustration over the recurring violence. “We are tired and despondent. The government only sends security operatives after every attack to retrieve bodies, but they do nothing to prevent these attacks or confront the perpetrators,” he lamented.
Another community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, corroborated the incident, revealing that three bodies had been recovered and taken to a morgue. He said one person remains unaccounted for, and a search party has been dispatched.
“It’s like a guerrilla war now. These attacks are unpredictable, and our people live in fear. Even when one area seems secured, the assailants strike from another direction,” he explained.
He identified one of the victims as a man named Isaiah from Otu-Mgbuji, while another was said to be the son of a resident, Emmanuel Ogbodo. He also recounted a separate incident last Friday when herdsmen attacked a farmer and stole his motorcycle. The victim narrowly escaped with machete wounds.
Despite earlier promises by the government to deploy 150 security personnel—including the military, police, DSS, Civil Defence, and Air Force—for routine patrols in the area following a protest by women in March, locals say the promised deployment never materialized.
“The herdsmen are still occupying settlements in the area and continue to launch attacks from there. No security personnel have come to clear them out,” the source added.
He further accused the local government chairman, Mr. Obiora Obeagu, of neglecting his responsibilities. “Security agencies that agreed to patrol the bushes can’t even get fuel to move because the council chairman won’t support them. People are losing hope and turning to God for protection,” he said.
The recent killings mark the first fatal incident since the March protest by women from seven autonomous communities in Eha-Amufu, who had decried years of violent attacks, killings, rapes, and kidnappings allegedly carried out by herdsmen.
Reports indicate that from 2021 to March 2025, at least 152 people have been killed in Eha-Amufu by suspected herders, with 49 recorded kidnapping incidents and about 20 persons still missing.
Community leaders are once again calling on state and federal authorities to take decisive and sustained action to end the violence and protect vulnerable farming communities.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Isi-Uzo LGA, Obiora Obeagu, for comments were unsuccessful. Calls to his phone went unanswered, and a text message sent to him, though marked as read, received no response.
The Enugu State Police Command has also not issued an official statement regarding the incident. Its spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, was unreachable at the time of filing this report.
Nzubechukwu Eze
