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| Nimbo community reels from the trauma of Fulani Terrorists attack. Survivors recount ordeal. Security men knew where the terrorists camped, yet they couldn't prevent the attack |
One of Saturday Sun’s reporters had last week paid a visit to some families that lost their beloved ones in the attack. Mr. Dennis Eze, a brother to late Mr. Maxwell Eze who died in the attack has this to say. “We are still in shock. We never know this attack would still happen because there was information prior to the attack and the security agencies were alerted one week before the attack yet they couldn’t do anything to stop it”, Mr. Dennis said.
Explaining how the attack happened, he said “We had a meeting on Sunday evening where we discussed how to protect our community from the attack if it happens. It was around 3am on Monday that a warning bell was rung and woke everybody up and we never knew it was the Fulani herdsmen that rang the bell only for us to come out and behold there were armed men in their large numbers and they started shooting sporadically at us. What saved some of us is that we have dispersed settlements in our community. Before some of us could come out, we heard gunshots and ran for our lives instead of going to the village square. Only those who are close to the village square were killed. My own house is far from my brother’s own. Some also managed to escape.”
A sectional president that Aids and Abets Terrorist Herdsmen is not fit to lead
Another eyewitness who identified himself as Ifeanyi Onyeabor said the Fulani herdsmen came to the community through Ameke village around 12am on Monday and laid ambush to attack by 3am. “We believe they came into our village around 12am and laid ambush to attack us by 3am. The information we had was that they will attack Uzouwani but no community was mentioned. We even thought it would be Abbi community because of the crisis they are having with Fulani herdsmen”, Ifeanyi said.
On security lapses that paved the way for the attack, Ifeanyi said the security agencies did nothing to avert the attack despite the fact that they were given a first class information about their hideout. “Our informant spotted where the Fulani herdsmen camped in between Ameke village and Eshi river and we reported to the police. All they could do was to be patrolling along Nsukka – Adani road without making any effort to chase them away from their camp”, he revealed.
When Saturday Sun asked the name of the informant and how he got the information, Ifeanyi said “A man from Opanda whose name was never mentioned said he came in contact with his Fulani friend who warned him to leave Uzouwani with his family and run for his life saying they had recruited over five hundred armed men from Niger and Nasarawa states to attack Uzouwani on Monday. The man said he asked the Fulani man the target but the Fulani man could not tell him. He only said the attack would not happen at Opanda. Before then, they had relocated their cattle to Benue”
“Another man who spotted them at their camp at Ameke was in his farm when he saw them. He wanted to run but they told him not to run because they were not after him. They told him they were going to another community for revenge and not their community. The man came back and raised the alarm and the security agencies were alerted immediately through the Caretaker Committee chairman of Uzouwani LGA, Hon. Cornel Onwubuya”, he explained further.
Mr. Ifeanyi Onyeabor stated he had no idea what the Fulani herdsmen avenged.
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