Imo Residents Cry Out Over Killings By Herdsmen Terrorists, Security Agents

DDM News

Widespread concern is mounting in Imo State as residents raise alarm over escalating killings linked to suspected armed herdsmen terrorists and state security operatives.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that citizens expressed grave fears that the state is descending into violent chaos, likening it to the ongoing crisis in Benue State.

The fears were voiced following a recent state-of-the-state address delivered by Governor Hope Uzodinma.

Many residents dismissed the governor’s speech as disconnected from the harsh reality faced by the people on the ground.

In Owerri, a trader named Ugo Nwagwu described the situation as unbearable, accusing killer herdsmen and trigger-happy police and soldiers of turning Imo into a war zone.

He questioned the silence and inaction of government authorities in the face of what he called a “bloodthirsty menace.”

According to Nwagwu, communities across the state are being overrun by armed Fulani herders who engage in kidnapping, ritual killings, rape, and other violent crimes.

He further claimed that some victims of these herdsmen have had their organs harvested or have been murdered in ritualistic acts of cannibalism.

A civil servant who requested anonymity lamented that the security operatives, who are meant to protect the people, have become aggressors themselves.

He likened their actions to a dog eating the bone hung around its own neck—betraying the trust of the citizens.

Residents reported that the level of brutality in Imo has reached alarming proportions, with both herdsmen and security operatives accused of heinous atrocities.

A bus driver, Mr. Jones Ukeje, a hairdresser, Ms. Joyce Azu, and a carpenter, Anayo Uzoma, jointly estimated that over 2,000 people have been killed across various communities in the state.

They claimed that many of these deaths occurred during both covert and overt security operations.

Uchenna Uba, another resident, alleged that the most shocking part is that some of the killings often attributed to “unknown gunmen” are, in fact, carried out by security personnel under disguise.

He asserted that the level of impunity exhibited by both the Fulani herders and armed security forces has made life in the state dangerous and uncertain.

Citing multiple examples, Uba recalled how suspected herdsmen massacred over 20 youths in areas like Izombe, Orsu, Onuimo, and Okigwe.

He also recounted a chilling incident in Amala where a woman was murdered in her farm, and another where a pregnant woman was killed in Umueze Ezemba in Ngor Okpala LGA.

In Agwa community, Oguta LGA, and Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, there were further reports of indiscriminate killings allegedly perpetrated by security agents.

The people of Owerri West LGA say Fulani terrorists have made daily life a nightmare, regularly abducting, raping, or murdering residents.

Earlier this year, the Imo State Police Command discovered a hideout in a bush near FUTO at Ihiagwa filled with corpses and human body parts.

Locals say such discoveries are not isolated but represent the grim norm in the state.

The growing frustration is now accompanied by a sense of helplessness and fear, as state security appears more complicit than protective.

Many residents believe that without urgent intervention, Imo could soon descend into a full-blown humanitarian disaster similar to what has plagued parts of Benue State.

They are calling for both national and international attention to the plight of innocent civilians trapped in the escalating crisis.

With security forces allegedly involved in unlawful killings, trust in law enforcement has plummeted.

Citizens are pleading for transparent investigations, the arrest of criminal elements within the armed forces, and disarmament of violent herdsmen.

Local communities insist that justice and accountability must replace the culture of silence and brutality.

Many fear that if the situation continues unchecked, a mass exodus from rural areas to urban centres or other states may become inevitable.

The state government has yet to issue any substantial response to the detailed allegations raised by the residents.

Until then, ordinary citizens in Imo remain vulnerable to a deadly mix of terrorism and extrajudicial killings.

The bloodshed has turned once peaceful communities into ghost towns where death lurks in every shadow.

Only time will tell whether Imo will be saved from further descent or become another tragic chapter in Nigeria’s worsening insecurity saga.

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