Enyanwu Igwe village in Igbeagu community, Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State, has been reportedly deserted following the killings and destruction of properties by Fulani herdsmen.
Recall that herdsmen invaded Enyanwu Igwe village on Monday, killing four persons and destroyed economic trees and other properties worth millions of naira.
The chairman of Izzi local government area, Mr. Paul Nwaogha made this known while speaking with some stakeholders and security chiefs during in a meeting that took place at the exco-chambers government house Abakaliki.
He said: “When I visited the scene yesterday, we had interaction with the villagers including the wife of the man that was killed. As at eight O’clock yesterday morning, I got a call from the supervisor for health in Izzi local government area. I was in my house when he said he received a call from his village that two of his people have been killed as early as eight O’clock.
“I quickly called the SSA on Internal security, I called the OC SARS and I called HAG, we quickly went to the headquarters and moblized policemen to the scene. On reaching there, the villagers were already running while some were gathered in one of the integration centre there.
“The man was said to be going to tie his cow in the bush. He went there with a rod to tie the cow on. As the man bent down, some fulani men with their own cattle on a very vast swamp land gave the man a deep cut dividing his head into two. The man fell down and was crying for help. But the fulani man continued cutting.
“Then, one old man in the compound of the man that was being matchted came out and saw how the man was being killed. The old man went close, on getting there, the fulani man jumped up and pounced on him. That was the man whose hands were cut off.
“It did not end there. One of the villagers, a youth who was riding a bicycle saw somebody who was running along the road and did not know what was happening. The man was looking at him face to face and the fulani man cut his hand. Thank God he is alive today. He jumped into a compound, everything he saw there, he made sure he cut it down, including plantain and coconut tree.
“He met one boy there who was with his wheelbarrow and he gave him a matchet cut. That one because he was still young started running and ran faster than the fulani man. There was one Toyota vehicle parked inside a compound, he use his matchet to smash the vehicle’s windscreen. Some people saw him and raised alarm. Now, he suspected that somebody might be in a shop watching him, he saw a metal door and gave it a sever cut. The knife was later found on the ground because the villagers later handed them over to the police.
“We proceeded to Saint Vincent Hospital Ndubia, when we got there the nurses there said they want to leave that Izzi is at war. It was the SSA on Internal security who addressed them that there is no war in Izzi. They were ready to run away”, he lamented.
In a swift reaction, the chairman of the myitta-Allah Alahaji Ado Amudu alleged that over thirty houses belonging to Fulani herdsmen resident at Enyanwu Igwe village were totally razed down by youths of the community.
He said: “I went to the office of the attorney general, when I left he called me back that there was a problem in my place. I told him I do not know about the problem. He asked me where I was and I told him I was at Hausa quarters. He said I should come and join him to the place where there was problem. When I got there I saw there was a fight between people. We later got to the hospital what I saw was dead bodies about three.
“When I came back to Abakaliki, I was in police headquarters, I was called and informed that people have destroyed my house. They told me that one of my child was injured on his leg and has been taken to the hospital. I do not know anything about the crisis.”
“They have destroyed my house, the only thing I have now is this cloth I am wearing. They burnt and levelled over thirty houses. I do not know why Izzi people should burn my house.
“Actually, I heard that two Izzi and one fulani man were killed. I also heard that one fulani man was arrested at Iboko division,” he stressed.
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