The Uzo Uwani Professional Association of Enugu State has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene to stop further attacks of its communities by herdsmen who cross into the area from the neighbouring Kogi State.
At the end of an emergency meeting of the Association in Abuja on Wednesday, the association also warned that the people of Uzo Uwani will no longer fold their arms and watch any group or individual attack communities for the single objective of killing, maiming and destruction of people and communities.
The Association frowned at the recent attack of Nimbo community in the local government by the Fulani herdsmen who crossed over from Kogi State.
It said over 40 persons were killed while property worth millions of Naira destroyed.
The Group said: “For the avoidance of doubt, about one hundred persons who were wounded during the incident are receiving treatment in hospitals at Nsukka, Adani, while two more bodies were discovered yesterday during the visit of the Governor of Enugu state to the community.
“We are aware of the tension building up in the communities especially four other towns listed as those likely to be attacked and therefore, call on the government to deploy troops and police mobile units to all the communities in the local government.
“We also demand the immediate constitution of a Judicial panel of inquiry by the federal government to unravel the real motives behind the unprovoked attacks of its communities. For instance, we need to know why despite warnings, the police and the military were unable to deploy to the area. We need to know if truly, a Fulani chief was killed in a farm settlement in IgalaMela council Area of Kogi and why our people are being attacked ostensibly in retaliation for that. We also need to know why the Divisional Police unit in Uzo-uwani were unable to respond as quickly as it should during the attack. We also need to know why the police in kogi could not prevent the movement of such number of herdsmen without their livestock despite warnings to the kogi police of the plan to attack communities in Enugu. We also need to know why uptill now the police is unable to apprehend any suspect in the event.”
The Association further urged the National Emergency Management Agency to urgently come to the assistance of displaced people of the area, many of whom are now living in squatter settlements, especially Nsukka, Uvuru and Omasi Agu in Anambra State.
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