The incident occurred in Eha-Amufu in the Isi-Uzo local government area of the state.
Seven people including two leaders of the local vigilance group have been confirmed killed during Sunday's attack on Ebor community in Enugu State by armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen and their collaborators from neighbouring Benue State.
The incident occurred in Eha-Amufu in the Isi-Uzo local government area of the state.
SaharaReporters which has been following attacks by suspected herdsmen on communities in Eha-Amufu since October 2022, reported on Sunday that the assailants numbering over 100 attacked Ebor community and killed a yet-to-be-ascertained number of people.
Sunday's attack came over a week after armed men allegedly collaborating with Agala community in Benue State attacked the community and killed at least 25 people.
The attack forced residents of Mgbuji, Umujiovu and Ebor communities to flee their homes. It also forced businesses in Eha-Amufu town, the third largest city which has the second largest market in Enugu State to shut down.
A community leader and a legal practitioner, Mr Festus Ede, told SaharaReporters on Monday that seven people were killed in Sunday's attack.
Lamenting the gruesome killing of his people in their villages, he said in the last 10 days, 32 people had been killed in Ebor community alone.
"On December 8, 25 people were killed. On December 18, seven people were killed. Our community is helpless now. Exactly one week today, our brother and governorship candidate of Labour Party in Enugu State, Hon Chijioke Edeoga and some soldiers visited the war-torn communities - Mgbuji, Umujiovu and Ebor.
"He had pleaded with the people that remained in communities to call their people to return home. The commander of the soldiers in Eha-Amufu, one Lt. JC Ibe who was in their company, also reassured the people of security. Unfortunately, when the people who fled their homes had started returning with the assurances that Nigerian security agencies would provide them security, this Sunday's attack came.
"Surprisingly, Lt. Ibe, who hails from Imo State and was the commander of troops in Eha-Amufu was removed and replaced with one Capt. Idris M.P. Regrettably, yesterday's attack came barely 48 hours after Idris assumed duty in Eha-Amufu."
Another community leader who gave his name as Samuel Ogbuabor, told SaharaReporters that the soldiers and policemen who came hours after the attack and killings told "our people that they won't fight our war. The security agents refused to engage the assailants. Worse still, they didn't enter our community while the attack lasted."
Ogbuabor regretted that when the community invited operatives of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), “soldiers and security agencies who could not provide security for the people descended on them. They (security agencies) killed some and they left the community yet the security agencies could not protect the people."
In a recent interview with SaharaReporters, a security source lamented the negligence of the state government to tackle the monster once and for all.
The source said, "These assailants had sacked over 40 villages and settlements. Now they are attacking the hometowns. This is the harvesting period and people have been forced out of their homes and communities and the government is paying lip service to this. These people are coming from communities in Benue State and government is aware of it.
"The invaders who outnumbered the soldiers and vigilantes, launched another attack on Ebor community this early Sunday morning. I have seen bodies of less than 10 but I can't give specific figures now. We are still in the bushes combing and searching for more people killed.
“What is happening here is unfortunate. It is exactly what they did to Benue State people. Probably they want to create a vast land joining Benue communities they had already sacked and call it their own land."
"From the report I received, the armed herdsmen and their collaborators from Benue State communities launched the attack around 5:30 am to 6 am this morning. Before we got there, several people have been killed.
“We are few soldiers here and where we are based is a little bit far from the communities. There are no other security operatives from other security agencies here in Eha-Amufu except local vigilantes. They (vigilantes) first engaged them but the invading armed herdsmen outnumbered them," a source said.
Meanwhile, efforts made by SaharaReporters to get the reaction of the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful. The state command's spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, did not answer calls to his mobile line.