In the last 18 months, the communities have counted no less than 120 residents mainly children and women killed by the assailants.
The Nigeria Police Force has said it will collaborate with other security agencies to fish out assailants and perpetrators of various criminal acts in communities in Eha-Amufu communities in Enugu State.
SaharaReporters had reported that gunmen suspected to be herdsmen with their collaborators from Benue State had been terrorising Agu-Amede, Mgbuji and Eboh communities in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State in the recent time.
In the last 18 months, the communities have counted no less than 120 residents mainly children and women killed by the assailants. Over 40 farm settlements and villages have sacked in the three communities with properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
In all the killings and destructions, the Nigerian security agencies have not been able to arrest any of the assailants.
SaharaReporters had also reported that things got to a head on Wednesday, when a truck loaded with young people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen were intercepted by members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The vehicle was said to have been searched as the occupants were allegedly carrying some weapons. Some of them were reportedly killed, some escaped and the truck set ablaze.
However, the State Police Public Relations Officer in statement on Friday, after on-the-spot visit of the scene of the incident by Commissioner of Police with heads of other security agencies, said that preliminary investigation had shown that the occupants of the truck didn't carry arms and ammunition contrary to reports in social media.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered the deployment of operational and intelligence resources to the Eha-Amufu. He also ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Command to thoroughly investigate the incident, harmonise ongoing investigations into other recent criminal incidents in the community and come up with actionable findings.
While commiserating with the families of those who lost their lives in the incident and other reported attacks in the area, the Commissioner stated that the Police, "with the active support and collaboration of other security agencies, will leave no stone unturned in fishing out the assailants and perpetrators of other acts of attack and murder in the area."
According to the statement, "the commissioner reassures members of the Eha-Amufu community of the avowed commitment of the Security Agencies to deploy both kinetic and non-kinetic measures to decisively deal with the untoward security breaches in the area." "He also enjoined them to remain law-abiding, cooperate with the Joint Security Team and avoid acting in ways that could further breach public security and peace in the area."
It added, "The Commissioner has dispelled in its entirety the news making the rounds that rather than goods and some travellers, as preliminary investigation has revealed, the truck was instead loaded with firearms, ammunition and bandits.
"He describes the rumour as baseless, misleading and an act of disinformation capable of creating unnecessary panic and escalating the situation in the area. Hence, he warns the creators and peddlers of such fake news to desist forthwith, as they will be made to face the full wrath of the law if apprehended."