The Senate is worried following a massacre in the Nimbo community in the early hours of April 28th 2024, which left over 46 people dead and 14 persons injured, with their houses and other properties completely razed down.
The Senate has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Chief of Army Staff and the Director General of the Department of State Services to investigate, arrest and prosecute the criminal gangs attacking the indigenes of Nimbo, Adani and some other communities in Uzo-Uwani L.G.A in Enugu State.
This is as it urged the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to urgently establish police and military presence in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, to put a permanent stop to the incessant killings.
This followed the consideration of a motion on the “Need to Urge the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to urgently curb the senseless killings and maiming of innocent indigenes of Nimbo, Adani and some other communities in Uzo-Uwani L.G.A, Enugu State by suspected herdsmen, by ensuring adequate provision of security in the above Local Government Area.”
The motion was sponsored by Senator Ezea Okechukwu (LP, Enugu North) and co-sponsored by Senators Kelvin Chukwu (LP, Enugu East) and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West).
In his lead debate, Senator Okechukwu noted that on 7th April 2024, in Adani, which is a popular rice production community in Uzo Uwani LGA, Enugu State, five (5) innocent farmers, were callously murdered by some rampaging herdsmen who invaded the community in the wee hours of the morning to commit the dastardly act.
He said, “On Sunday, 28th April 2024, at about 14:00hrs, another attack was carried out in the same LGA where four innocent people in the farming village of Nimbo were gruesomely murdered by herdsmen in an unprovoked attack that is reminiscent of the April 2016 Nimbo killings.
“In February 2016, the Abbi community was the first to be hit by the same assailants where 2 people were gruesomely killed while 19 others were declared missing.
“There was a major massacre in Nimbo community in the early hours of April 25th 2016, which left over 46 people dead and 14 persons injured, with their houses and other properties completely razed down,” he added.
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The lawmaker who expressed concerns over the killings lamented that the attacks do not seem to be isolated as their persistence indicates a pattern.
According to him, the authorities both at the state and federal level have not taken robust steps to stop these killings.
He said, “If nothing very urgent and sustainable was done to put an end to this recurrent menace, people may begin to resort to self-help in order to ward off these criminal elements and this may eventually lead to a complete breakdown of law and order, especially given the already challenging security situation in the region.”
On the contrary, the Minority Whip of the Senate, Senator Osita Ngwu disagreed with Senator Ezea on his remark about the government’s silence on the killings, describing it as misrepresentation.
He said, “Some people have been arrested and concerning this killing, an investigation is still going on. Just a few days ago, the governor also set up a special security force that is going to continue to look through the issue and see to its solution.
“So I disagree with the motion as a first concern that the government hasn’t done anything concerning this matter. It is a misrepresentation and I will draw from that particular statement.”
The Senate thereafter, urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the victims to cushion the effects of the unwarranted attacks.
It further mandated the Senate Committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance and proffer lasting solutions.
OrderPaper had rightfully predicted that the rising killings and insecurity in the country would be a front-burner issue for lawmakers this week. See the full prediction here.
