The Anambra State Police Command has launched an investigation into the killing of four Fulani herders after gunmen attacked a cattle settlement at Agu Ifite, Awka, in Awka South Local Government Area, on Tuesday.
The attackers, who reportedly stormed the settlement with sophisticated weapons, also set two residential huts on fire and killed six cows before fleeing the scene.
Key Highlights:
- Gunmen killed four Fulani herders in an attack on a cattle settlement in Awka, Anambra.
- The attackers also burned two huts and killed six cows before fleeing.
- Police have launched an investigation and say one survivor is assisting with inquiries.
- Authorities said the victims’ hands were tied and they suffered machete and blunt force injuries.
- MACBAN urged members to remain calm and avoid reprisals as investigations continue.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives of the Police-led Joint Security Team responded swiftly to a distress call but found four male victims already dead.
According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had their hands tied and suffered multiple machete wounds and blunt force injuries.
“The operatives discovered four male victims with fatal injuries. Their hands were tied, and they sustained multiple injuries, including machete cuts and blunt force trauma.
“Two residential huts in the settlement were also burnt during the attack,” Ikenga said.
He added that four dead cows were found at the scene, while two others had been slaughtered with parts of the meat taken away by the attackers.
Bags containing abandoned chunks of meat were later recovered a short distance from the settlement.
The police spokesman disclosed that initial findings indicated that the assailants were armed with AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, double-barrel guns and machetes.
Ikenga further revealed that one survivor escaped the attack unharmed and is assisting investigators with information expected to aid efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible.
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Describing the incident as a brutal assault on a residential settlement, the command assured the victims’ families and residents that it would carry out a thorough, professional and intelligence-led investigation.
“The command remains committed to ensuring that everyone involved in this heinous attack is identified, arrested and brought to justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Deputy Director-General of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, also confirmed the attack, saying it occurred at the cattle camp of Alhaji Aminu Mohammed in Ifite, Awka.
He identified the deceased as Mohammed Bujumi, Hassan Bujumi, Abubakar Bujumi and Sani Bujumi, noting that all four were brothers from the same family.
According to Siddiki, the victims were tending their cattle when the armed men invaded the camp and opened fire.
He commended the prompt intervention of the Joint Security Team and the Anambra State Government, while urging members of the association to remain peaceful and refrain from any form of retaliation as security agencies continue their investigation.
