Ugwuanyi, who rushed to the community on receipt of the report of the invasion of the community in the early hours of Thursday, said the government would no longer tolerate such barbaric attack on his people.
He said: “This morning, I received the report of an attack by suspected herdsmen on Attakwu community during which a seminarian, Mr. Lazarus Nwankwo, was killed and four others injured.
“Even though the police are still conducting investigations into the matter, I hasten to condemn this act as the government cannot tolerate the wanton destruction of lives anywhere in the state under any guise.”
Ugwuanyi said he had summoned a meeting with the leadership of the herdsmen and security agencies to review the situation and determine the appropriate actions to be taken.
He said: “It is unfortunate that this incident is coming just days after the commission of inquiry into the killing at Nimbo submitted an interim report and is about to conclude its assignment.
“I wish to express our sympathies to the families of the deceased and assure them that the government would do everything to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.”
Ugwuanyi said the government would continue to take adequate measures to ensure the protection of lives and property.
Speaking in an interview with the the News Agency of Nigeria, the Chairman of Attakwu Autonomous Community, Chief Ndubuisi Ogbodo, said the suspected herdsmen struck the community out of no justified provocation.
Ogbodo said one Lazarus Nwankwo from Imo State, a final year student of Spiritan International School of Theology, was killed in the attack.
He said a certain woman from the family of one Ogbodo Nwarum had on Wednesday tried to stop some cattle from grazing on her farm located at the back of her house.
He added: “When the woman saw the cattle grazing on her farm, she sounded a gong, which scared the cattle away from the premises.
“The herdsmen got furious and challenged her on why she scared their cattle and threatened to come back for her.
“The herdsmen later came back in the early hours of Thursday and invaded their compound, during which the pregnant woman and three other members of her household were attacked with machete.”
Ogbodo said the seminarian, who was a tenant in the compound, heard the shouts of the woman and her household and darted out to see what was happening, but got killed.
Ogbodo said the other four victims got deadly machete cuts and were critically ill and receiving treatment in two hospitals.
Residents of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed their ordeal on their traditional ruler who allegedly collected money from the herdsmen and gave them a portion of their land to settle.
They alleged that the traditional ruler was even given a contract by the herdsmen to grade the route leading to their settlement.
Reacting, the traditional ruler of the community, Chief Greg Ugwu, said he knew nothing of the settlement of the herdsmen in the community.
Ugwu said the cattle breeders were already in the community before he was crowned as the traditional ruler, adding that he had no business with them.
The governor drove into the forest where the herdsmen lived, but could not meet anyone as the entire settlement had been deserted.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please share your thoughts by clicking on POST A COMMENT link or posting in FACEBOOK COMMENT BOX above:
DISCLAIMER:
Opinions expressed in comments are strictly those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent the views of PoliFocus.
Calling the CONTACTS on the comments is at your own risk, PoliFocus is not liable for any SCAM that may arise in the course of that.