COMMUNITY CRIES FOR HELP AS SUSPECTED HERDSMEN KILL TWO MEN, ABDUCT WOMAN IN EBONYI

REPORTER: AMECHI ODO

The People of Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have cried out that they are under siege by suspected armed herdsmen.

The people say they need urgent deployment of soldiers and other security operatives in all routes leading in and out of their community.

They made the appeal following the killing of two men and abduction of a woman on Mpu-Ishiagu Road by suspected herdsmen.

In what appeared to be a recurring attack by suspected herdsmen, the latest victims were a 72 year old father of the National Youth Leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Mr. Okafor Aja, and a man whose identity card shows that he was a Senior Staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) serving in Ebonyi State.

The National Youth Leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Mazi Damian Okafor, told Radio Nigeria that the suspected herdsmen blocked the Mpu – Ishiagu Road where they shot dead the said INEC staff in his vehicle before abducting a woman suspected to be his wife.

He further narrated that it was while dragging the woman into the forest that they ran into his father, Mr. Okafor Aja, in his farm and slaughtered him.

A Community Leader in Ngwogwo Ishiagu, Mr. Paul Ngara, said they were living in fear as suspected herdsmen had made all routes leading to the community as well as their farms inaccessible and appealed for government’s urgent intervention.

The Chairman Ivo Local Government Area, Mr. Emmanuel Aja, said preliminary investigations showed that the herdsmen came in through Aninri axis and called for the deployment of soldiers to the route.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Mrs. Onome Onowakpoyeya, said operatives of the Command were on the manhunt of the attackers.

Radio Nigeria gathered that suspected herdsmen had two weeks ago shot dead a middle aged man on Akaeze road in the same local government area while similar attacks in the past sparked violent protest by women in Ishiagu Community.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU