Many killed, houses burnt as suspected herdsmen invade Ebonyi community
Suspected herdsmen, on Sunday, attacked Amegu village, Nkalaha community in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State killing several residents and setting houses ablaze.
The assault is believed to be a reprisal following the reported killing of cattle belonging to herdsmen in the area.
Confirming the attack to PUNCH Metro, a native of the area, Prof. Ndubuisi Idenyi, said the assailants stormed the village in the wee hours of Sunday, unleashing violence that left many dead and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
“I don’t have the number of casualties right now. We are still tracking and bringing out the dead bodies especially those killed in the farms”, he said.
Another source said a pastor of a Pentecostal church in the area was among those killed in the attack.
The source, who pleaded anonymity for fear of being traced, said the community members were not responsible for the killing of the cows.
“We did not kill their cows. The cows were killed by members of the Eastern Security Network in the forest.”
The Chairperson of Isheilu Local Government Area, Mrs Ifeoma Peace Agwu, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro when contacted.
She said, “We are taking the victims’ bodies to the mortuary right now. I cannot talk much about it now. We will give more details later.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Joshua Ukandu, however, said he was not aware of the incident when our contact sought his reaction, as of the time of filing this report on Sunday.
