BIAFRA WRITERS VISIT TO NATIONAL ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL ENUGU: INTERVIEW VICTIMS OF FULANI HERDSMEN INVASION AT UZO-UWANI ENUGU.

It is now two weeks and three days since Fulani herdsmen violently invaded and launched an attack on the people of Ukpabi/Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu state.
Some of the victims of the attack who survived but sustained varying degrees of injuries are still lying critically in hospitals across the state where they are receiving medical treatment.

Recently, BIAFRA WRITERS like we promised after our visit to Uzo-Uwani, paid a visit to the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu(NOHE) where some of the victims who sustained bones and joint related injuries and disorders are currently receiving treatment. A source at the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that not fewer than seven victims of the attack were transferred to the hospital for specialist care.

Read also:ENUGU MASSACRE: BIAFRA WRITERS VISIT TO NIMBO/UKPABI COMMUNITY.

Biafra writers were opportuned to see and speak with three of the victims who were admitted at the Trauma Ward of the hospital from Bishop Shanahan Hospital(BSH), Nsukka. They include a young man named Patrick Eze who had just returned from serving the country as a youth corper in Jigawa state.
He was seen writhing in pain in his sick bed with deep "machete cut wounds" bandaged all over his legs, hands, back and head.

Another victim is a very young boy identified as Celestine Ajogu could hardly speak as his teeth was carved and cut out with a sharp knife. He also sustained other critical injuries and machete cuts in his back, hands and legs. His sister, a nurse and other medical practitioners were seen attending to him.
Looking at this harmless child, one could tell he is going through alot of pains.

Master Celestine Ajogu

And then an elderly man who simply gave his name as Mr. Ajogu; believed to be the father of Celestine Ajogu equally sustained deep machete cuts on his head, back, hands and legs as he recounted how he was attacked and taken to the hospital in Nsukka from where he was transferred to NOHE.
He said everything all happened at the same time and further went on to describe the gory incident.

Mr Ajogu Victim Of Fulani Attack In Uzo-Uwani

Patrick Eze who recounted how the misfortune fell on him on that April 25th morning which subsequently landed him in the hospital, said that it was really a very bitter experience. He just finished his national youth service scheme on the 14th of April, 2016, and had returned with high hopes some days before the unfortunate incident.

According to him, when they received a letter of the impending attack, the community monarch and the government stakeholders beefed up security in the community. He said that they also constituted a vigilante group called "the neighborhood watch" which he is part of. The vigilante group keeps watch over the community at nights.

Mr Patrick Eze Lying Critically Hill In NOHE

On that 24th night, all of them was awake until dawn began to draw near, some members of the vigilante told him and his brother to go and take a nap since it's almost morning. But at this time, the policemen and the military had already left as everybody thought that they wouldn't attack in the morning.
Patrick Eze was still fast asleep when he started hearing sounds of heavy sporadic gunshots at exactly 6am which prompted the vigilante group to alert the villagers of the Herder's attack.

Gripped with palpable fear and tension, the villagers started running for their dear lives as numerous gunshots were being heard. He said he picked up his NYSC discharged certificate, his documents and other valuable credentials and joined the race for life sustainability. He ran for about 3kilometres, crossing over two to three villages before he was caught by two Fulani herdsmen.

Mr Patrick Eze

From there, the only thing he could remember was that his right hand was cut with a sharp machete by one of the Fulanis before he passed out momentarily for hours and when he regained consciousness he then realized that not only his right hand but his left hand, legs, back and head has deep machete cuts and injuries as pints of blood gushed out from these wild openings.

He was then taken to the policemen who had gathered at the market square from where he was taken to BSH, Nsukka and from there to NOHE.
His brother, Eze Cletus Anayochukwu who corroborated this report, added that it has been long the community has been suffering acts of terrorism from the hands of Fulani herdsmen whom because of the community's fertile/arable lands, had besieged the place to foment and  perpetrate trouble and all acts of terror.

Anayochukwu Eze who is taking care of his brother at the hospital since the attack happened, went down memory lane on the chronological attack on their community by the herdsmen.
He recounted an incident that happened in 2005 when the Fulani nomadic herders shot and killed one Ogbobueze from the village who was working on his farm.

Mr anayochukwu Eze, Brother to Patrick Eze

In 2007/2008 people who migrated from Urobo in Uzo-Uwani to Nimbo for farming was attacked and killed by the herdsmen, those who survived, left in shock.
He stated that even their women dreads going to work on their farmlands as they are usually been raped by the herdsmen.

In 2011/12, two young teenagers Oke Michael and Utazi Thaddeus who were in Senior Secondary 2 and Junior Secondary 3, respectively were working on their farm when the herdsmen invaded, damaging their crops with their cattle and when they sought to know the reason for such attitude, the two of them were instantly shot dead.

According to him, this incident and other heinous crimes warranted the people of the community to issue them serious warnings, asking them to vacate their community and farmlands as farming is the major source of their livelihood.
After this warning, the Fulani herdsmen told the people of the neighbouring Kogi state that they will attack the community.

Read also:HERDSMEN ATROCIOUS ATTACK: THE COMPLICITY OF BUHARI AND THE NEED FOR SELF DEFENSE.

He said: “Between 2013 and 2014, the Fulani herdsmen told our neighbours in Kogi state that since we don't want them to stay anymore in our community because of their destruction, they are going to attack us.” The people of Kogi he said, informed them of the impending attack, telling them that they had already passed their village wielding some sophisticated weapons.

The villagers on their side, mobilized a group of boys to go and ascertain the veracity of the information they received. But on reaching a nearby bush, the herdsmen confronted them, killing two people instantly at the spot. He said that this was reported to Uzo-Uwani police division who came at the scene and took away one of the herdsmen who was injured by the boys during the encounter.

Read also:LIVE REPORT: AMODU AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY UNDER SIEGE BY FULANI HERDSMEN

After this incident, the invasion of their farmlands still continued unabated with the herdsmen damaging their crops and farmlands, harvesting and consuming their farm produce and after consuming them, they will raze down their farm shelter. He informed that in all these, he had reported the issue to the police but they would not come to their aid because they are also afraid of the herdsmen who are always inside the bush wielding sophisticated weapons like AK 47, sharp knives, that ordinary civilians cannot wield.

When they heard rumours that one of the Fulanis died in Agbatebe(resting ground) in Kogi state and that his remains was recovered by an Igala policeman from Odolu Police Divisional Headquarters, the Fulani herders accused the community of killing their kinsman. He stated that though they share boundary with Kogi state, they could not have killed the herdsman as the villagers neither go to foment trouble or fight in their farms.

The community monarch according to him, drafted letters containing the threat and was sent to Force Headquarters in Abuja, Police zone 9 Umuahia, Former Enugu state Commissioner of Police and to Area Commander Nsukka zone.
Copies of the letter was also sent to Uzo-Uwani police Divisional headquarters and then to the state Governor who referred him to the Chief Security Officer and then to the GOC, 82 Army Division Enugu whom he said sent his men who kept guards at nights.
He regretted that his maternal Uncle who went to check the trap on his farm was the first to be killed by the herdsmen who cut out his heart from his body and left with it.

Reported By Chukwuemeka Chimerue
For Biafra Writers