Suspected herdsmen on Sunday attacked the Amegu Nkalaha Community in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, killing an unknown number of people and burning numerous houses.
The Ebonyi State Police Command spokesperson, SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the attack to Channels Television, stating that police have deployed operatives to the area.
While confirming the attack, Ukandu noted that the number of casualties is still being investigated.
“Yes, an attack occurred and police are responding to the situation. The command is still working to determine the precise number of people killed in the incident,” he said.
The chairperson of Ishielu local government area, Ifeoma Agwu, also confirmed the attack, adding that the process of recovering bodies and taking them to the morgue is ongoing, making it difficult to determine the exact number of fatalities at the moment.
“We are taking the victims’ bodies to the mortuary right now. I cannot talk much on it now. We will give more details later”.
While the motive for the attack remains under investigation, some residents suggested that it may be connected to the recent killing of cows belonging to herdsmen in the area.
A community member, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the cows were killed by members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the forest.
The source also stated that there has been tension in the community following the killing of the cows, and that stakeholders have been working to prevent retaliatory attacks.