Eha-Amufu and adjacent settlements in Enugu State’s Isi-Uzo local government area have become ghost towns after Nigerian military allegedly engaged Eastern Security Network (ESN) members in a gunfight.
The communities had called ESN, the militant arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to assist in repelling marauding herders presumed to be of Fulani origin who had been terrorizing people.
IPOB is a secessionist group that wants Biafra to be a separate state from Nigeria. Nnamdi Kanu, its leader, has been detained since June 2021, when he was extradited from Kenya to Nigeria.
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According to Anaedoonline.ng, troops and security personnel from various tactical units of the Nigeria Police Force killed one young man during the shootout, which lasted more than two hours, according to a source.
According to news reports, the violence began in the early hours of Wednesday when armed herdsmen raided Isiado hamlet in the Agu-Amede community.
According to sources, the armed herders retreated after several hours of fighting with local vigilantes.
On Wednesday evening, however, a Dangote Cement truck was stopped at a checkpoint near Umuhu-Eha-Amufu by Ebonyi bridge, with passengers thought to be Fulani herdsmen on board.
The truck was searched after some resistance from the driver, and several rifles and ammo were purportedly discovered.
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According to a source, the Dangote truck driver who was on his way to Nkalagu, Ebonyi State, told police that he had been cleared at many checkpoints along the Ubolo-Ikem Road before arriving at the Umuhu bridge crossing.
The source said, “The local vigilantes demanded to search the truck but the driver resisted. The vigilantes insisted and found over 40 herdsmen in the truck, along with arms and ammunition.
“Many people gathered after the discovery but some soldiers soon arrived. They tried to clear the road for the vehicle and its occupants to continue their journey but some youths said no and blocked the road.
“Unfortunately, the arrival of ESN operatives who were alerted charged the atmosphere, leading to the soldiers with other security agents from the police tactical squad who equally stormed the scene to engage in a shootout with them.
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“The shooting from the army unit did nothing to quell the situation as the crowd began to seize the occupants of the truck. The trailer was set ablaze shortly after and some herdsmen who were identified as being in possession of the discovered weapons were reportedly killed. It is unclear how many were involved.”
“However, the soldiers also killed a member of ESN during the shootout,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Eha-Amufu town and adjoining communities have been deserted, a local security source told SaharaReporters, adding that “only us, security men are in the town.”
“We are envisaging that security agencies, especially the military that have been complicit in the undeclared armed herdsmen ‘war’ on our communities will come back to attack our communities,” he said.
Within a month, gunmen suspected of being herders killed at least 20 people, including women and children, in attacks on the settlements of Agu-Amede, Mgbuji, and Eboh in Eha-Amufu. Unfortunately, Nigerian security forces have yet to apprehend any of the attackers.
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17 villages have been devastated in the last year by invading gunmen claiming to be herdsmen.
However, Newsmen’s attempts to obtain a response from the state police command were futile because the command’s spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, did not reply to calls from Newsmen.
In addition, the Nigerian Army has yet to react to a text message requesting clarity on reports that soldiers aided armed herders in Eha-Amufu.
Bridger General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, and Major Jonathan Unuakhalu, the Deputy Army Public Relations Officer, did not return their calls.
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