A gruesome double murder has shaken the Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, where a 90-year-old man, Elder Otiakugwu, and his wife were allegedly killed in their home by unknown assailants.
Eyewitnesses said the elderly couple was attacked and butchered with machetes in the early hours of Wednesday.
“The assailants entered Ekwuru village of Nimbo unnoticed, met the nonagenarian and his wife eating. They killed them and dropped their blood-soaked machete on their body and fled under the cover of the night. It was on the following morning, which was Thursday, that they were seen lying in a pool of blood, already dead,” said a resident of the community.
The community is still reeling from the shock of the brutal killing, with many questioning the motive behind the attack.
“What may have been the offence of the oldest man of the community and his wife to be gruesomely killed?” another resident lamented.
This latest incident has reignited fears within the community, which has previously suffered repeated attacks by suspected herdsmen. In 2016, a similar attack claimed the lives of around 12 residents. Since then, the community has faced a persistent wave of violence, including killings, rapes, and the destruction of farmlands.
Confirming the recent attack, Hon. David Utazi, the President General of Nimbo community, voiced deep concern about the escalating tension in the area, attributing it to the frequent assaults by herdsmen.
He urged the federal and state governments to establish a police quick intervention camp in the community to stem the tide of violence.
He said, “We have never enjoyed convivial atmosphere as Fulani herdsmen unleash mayhem at intervals, destroy crops, uproot cassava, yams and rape, maim unsuspecting victims of the community.
“The herdsmen militias trek through Odoru Nsukka LGA to Nimbo. The land between Ida, Odoru and Nimbo is too large to contain two or more federal establishments.
“We appeal to both federal and state governments to come to our aid to consider establishing a police quick intervention camp at Nkpologwu, earlier approved by the former Inspector General of police, IGP Solomon Arase, when he visited Nimbo community in the 2016 massacre.”
However, the Chairman of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Chijioke Ezugwu, assured that the suspect has been arrested and handed over to the police for thorough investigation.
“We are on top of the matter and would not renege in our efforts to make the local government area a safe place for residents and visitors alike,” he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the State Police Command for comment were unsuccessful, as the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, could not be reached by phone at the time of filing this report.
