The people of Ukpabi Nimbo, a community in the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State, which was attacked by Fulani herdsmen on Monday, have blamed security agencies directly under the command of President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to act on “credible” information they provided before the attack.
The villagers, who said this when the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi [pictured], visited the community on Tuesday, stated that they were abandoned even after they alerted security agencies to the plan to attack them.
The General Officer Commanding, 82 Division, Enugu, Major General Attahiru Ibrahim, and the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, Nwodibo Ekechukwu, were also in the village on Tuesday.
The Caretaker Chairman, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Mr. Cornel Onwubuya, said he personally alerted the governor, the commissioner of police and heads of other security agencies after he received a confirmation from some Fulani leaders in the area that the herdsmen were going to attack the community.
Onwubuya disclosed that acting on the report, Ugwuanyi convened a state security council meeting on Sunday night.
According to Onwubuya, the said security council meeting lasted till the early hours of Monday, shortly before the herdsmen struck.
He added, “We had a security report that this was going to happen and I convened a meeting with Fulani stakeholders in Enugu State.
“Some Fulani leaders told us that the herdsmen were camped very close to our community. I informed the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, who assured us that the attack would be stopped.
“He (Commissioner of Police, Enugu) said he would get in touch with the Commissioner of Police in Kogi State to prevent the attack.
“The information we got was credible but unfortunately, they still attacked us.”
On his part, Ugwuanyi, who said heads of the various security agencies in the state assured him that the attack would be failed, described the incident as a sad moment for Enugu State.
Ugwuanyi noted that even as the governor, he was not in control of the security agencies.
He said, “At the emergency security council meeting, which I convened, we were given all the assurances that the attack would not happen.”
He also disclosed that information available to the government revealed that the attack was initiated from Kogi State.
Two lorry loads of herdsmen landed in parts of Kogi State before the attack, he added.
The governor urged the Federal Government to address the menace posed by the herdsmen.
“The Federal Government should do the needful, but as the governor, I call for peace and prayers.
“Until the Federal Government decides to address this situation, this will continue to happen,” he said.
The governor also disclosed that his administration had to restrain restive youths, who wanted to carry out reprisal on northerners in the state.
Ugwuanyi announced a donation of N5m to the community, adding that the government would foot the medical bills of the injured.
He urged the people to embark on two days of fast and prayers, assuring that necessary measures would be taken to beef up security in the area and other parts of the state.
The governor visited the injured in various hospitals where they were receiving treatment.