Photos: Property, farmlands, crops destroyed in gruesome attack on community in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State

On January 13th, a group of people believed to be from Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State attacked Izenyi, Ndieze, Minkum, Obeagu & Imeoheowa communities in Izzi LGA of  Ebonyi State. The attackers numbering about 500 and reportedly comprising of hired fighters, warriors, native doctors brandishing charms and sophisticated weapons burnt down all buildings on their way, destroyed farmlands and carted away harvested crops worth millions of naira.

Following a distress call from EBSEMA to NEMA South East over an attack, a joint team of NEMA & EBSEMA visited the affected communities to ascertain the level of damages caused by the group.

Findings revealed that residential homes with household items and food items, farm land & economic trees, were destroyed and the affected people have fled from their homes to neighbouring communities for fears of more attack by the sect.

Meanwhile, some of the IDPs are taking shelter in schools which are guided by law enforcement officers. Below is a detailed report by African Free Press on the gruesome attack:

"On the 13^th of January 2017, the people of Azuofia-Edda community of Abakaliki Local Government Area in Ebonyi State while in the comfort of their homes, on a very cold harmattan morning, sleeping, filled with dreams and plans on activities for the day, were attacked by a consortium of villages of Ofomana, Ogwurude (Ekori), Ofonama, Okinbogha, Ogamana, Ovurokponu, Okpechi, Ofenagama, Eja, and Ujitum all in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River state.

This attack started by 4am with sporadic shootings from warriors said to have numbered over five hundred, without enough time for the villagers of Azuofia-Edda community to save their lives or properties – they were outnumbered.

These aggressors from the aforementioned Obubra villages had travelled over ten kilometres to reach the villages of Azuofia-Edda community. Villagers fleeing their homes reported that amongst the attackers were hired fighters and warriors, native doctors brandishing charms of all kinds and youths of various age groups carrying sophisticated weapons – including machine guns and Kalashnikovs, machetes, axes, motorized saws and petrol etc., with the sole aim of wiping out the villages in Azuofia-Edda community. The aggressors as they advanced burnt all buildings on their way – duplexes, bungalows, storey buildings, and mud houses belonging to the very poor. With their motorised saws, they fell down and set ablaze all economic trees in the compounds they visited. They entered into farm stores, brought out rice crops in 300 kg bags worth millions of Naira and set them alight. They catered away harvested crops such as tubers of yam, cocoyam, okro, maize and beni-seed etc., etc. Worthy of mention, among others were fifty-four (54) bags of rice of 300kg each belonging to Mr. Okemini Mbam and his family worth millions of naira.

These bags were set ablaze in his home and as of the 17^th of January when we visited with staff of Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency, they were still burning. The worst was that the aggressors killed goats, sheep and any chicken that came their way. They destroyed on the spot, properties they couldn’t carry and hurled away cattle and other domestic animals belonging to the villagers.

On the day of the attack, between 4am and 11am, before some security personnel arrived the scene the Obubra people had succeeded in setting ablaze all buildings in three settlements of Ndieze, Izenyi and Minikum in Ophenna village, numbering over forty compounds and compounds in Minikum settlement in Odageri village. The aggressors from Obubra succeeded in killing and beheading three men, Amaga Origbo, Egwuatu Okemini Egede and Simeon Ede Igboke from these two villages of Azuofia-Edda community and kidnapped three others presumed to be dead by now – Ike Ewa, John Orogwu and Nweboh Ophoke Nweboh.

It would be interesting to note that given the number of people – youths, native doctors, hired fighters, including women who followed the attackers and whose duties were to loot and carry back properties – mobilized for the attack, the kind of ammunition they came with, the strategy they deployed and properties they destroyed, it was a well planned, coordinated and premeditated attack rested on the shoulder of the fact that the people of Ovurokponu village in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River state had on the 10^th of January 2017 accused the people of Azuofia-Edda community of Abakaliki in Ebonyi state of beheading a commercial motorcyclist, one Isagha from their village...

Read the rest of the report here:

Photo credit: NEMA SOUTH EAST/African Free Press