After Nigerian soldiers reportedly engaged operatives of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in a gun duel, Eha-Amufu and the communities nearby in the Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State have become a ghost town.
Communities had invited ESN, the militant arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to help protect residents from marauding herdsmen who are thought to be Fulani and have been terrorizing them.
IPOB is a separatist group that wants a Biafran state from Nigeria. Since being transferred from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021, its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has been held in detention.
SaharaReporters learned that one young man was killed by soldiers and security agents from various tactical squads of the Nigeria Police Force during the over-two-hour shootout, according to a source.
SaharaReporters learned that armed herdsmen invaded Isiado village in the Agu-Amede community in the early hours of Wednesday to start the trouble.
According to sources, the armed herdsmen retreated after a prolonged shootout with local vigilantes that lasted for several hours.
However, on Wednesday evening, individuals believed to be Fulani herdsmen were on board a truck belonging to Dangote Cement when it was stopped at a checkpoint in Umuhu-Eha-Amufu by the Ebonyi bridge.
The truck driver allegedly resisted when the vehicle was searched, and some arms and ammunition were allegedly discovered.
According to a source, the Dangote truck driver on his way to Nkalagu in Ebonyi State admitted to being cleared at several checkpoints along the Ubolo-Ikem Road prior to reaching the Umuhu bridge checkpoint during interrogation.
According to the source, “The driver resisted the local vigilantes’ demands to search the truck.” Over forty herdsmen, along with weapons and ammunition, were discovered in the truck by the vigilantes who insisted.
After the discovery, many people gathered, but soldiers soon arrived. They attempted to clear the road so that the vehicle and its occupants could continue their journey, but some young people refused and blocked the road instead.
“Unfortunately, the alerted arrival of ESN agents charged the atmosphere, prompting the soldiers and other police tactical squad security agents to storm the scene and engage in a shootout with them.
“As the crowd began to seize the truck’s occupants, the army unit’s shooting did nothing to calm the situation. Shortly thereafter, the trailer caught fire, and some herdsmen who had been identified as being in possession of the weapons found were reportedly killed. How many were involved is unknown.
The source went on to say that “the soldiers also killed a member of ESN during the shootout.”
“Only us, security men are in the town,” a local security source told SaharaReporters, referring to the deserted Eha-Amufu town and its neighboring communities.
He stated, “We are envisaging that security agencies, especially the military, who have been complicit in the undeclared armed herdsmen ‘war’ on our communities will come back to attack our communities.” This is something that he intended to convey.
In an attack on the Agu-Amede, Mgbuji, and Eboh communities in Eha-Amufu, at least 20 people, including women and children, had been killed by gunmen who were thought to be herdsmen within a month, according to SaharaReporters. Sadly, none of the attackers have been apprehended by Nigerian authorities.
In the previous year, 17 towns have been sacked by attacking shooters said to be herders.
However, SaharaReporters were unable to obtain a response from the state police command because the command’s spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, did not return our correspondent’s calls.
Also, a text message asking for clarification on the claims that soldiers have been assisting armed herdsmen in Eha-Amufu has not yet been answered by the Nigerian Army.
Both 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.