Ebonyi community accuses military, police of complicity in deadly Fulani herdsmen attack

Residents of Amegu Nkalaha Community in Ebonyi State have accused the Nigerian military and police of failing to prevent a violent attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen, despite being forewarned.

According to community members, security operatives warned them on Saturday not to leave the area, yet when attackers struck on Sunday morning, no intervention was made.

In the aftermath of the gruesome attack, which left at least 16 people dead and 25 houses burnt, soldiers reportedly returned to the community, seizing phones from residents to prevent them from documenting the carnage or alerting the world.

Eyewitnesses narrated how the armed attackers stormed the village while residents were in church, setting homes and yam barns ablaze. Some victims were shot dead, while others had their throats slit.

One resident, Simon Edeze, accused the soldiers of further intimidation.

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“Worse still, when they came, the soldiers seized our people’s phones while they were making videos. They threatened that if they saw any videos or pictures of the carnage, they would return and destroy our homes,” he said.

Edeze added that after community members retrieved 10 corpses, including that of a retired policeman, Mr. James Ogbu, the soldiers returned the seized phones, but only after ensuring that no footage had been shared.

The community also criticized the Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Patricia Obila, for allegedly ordering the mass arrest of residents instead of offering condolences.

“Even the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi, Mrs. Patricia Obila, was the one telling the police to carry out mass arrests in our community, accusing us of killing cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen. Till now, she hasn’t visited the community to sympathize with us,” one resident lamented.

According to the aggrieved villagers, government officials and security agencies respond swiftly when cattle are harmed, but remain silent when farmlands are destroyed or innocent residents are killed.

The Amegu Nkalaha massacre is the latest in a series of violent attacks linked to herder-farmer conflicts across Nigeria, raising fresh concerns about government inaction and alleged military complicity.

The affected community is now calling for justice, accountability, and immediate intervention to prevent further bloodshed.