Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Sunday attacked a farmer, Okeke Nkemjika, in Ebonyi State.
The incident happened in a farm in Amaeze community, Ivo Local Government Area, it was gathered.
The victim, Mr. Nkemjika, is from neighbouring Lokpa community in Abịa State but was based in the community.
He was allegedly attacked at a palm plantation in the community where he was working as the plantation keeper.
A source in the community, Egwu Chibueze, told our Correspondent that the herdsmen had been terrorising the community for some time now.
He said that on that fateful day, the herdsmen numbering about five had been spotted in the night around a quarry site located in the community.
He said: “In the early hours of today I got a call from the security officer at Yitter Quarry located at the former Setraco site at Umbro Ajanyim.
“He was complaining that he noticed the movement of five herdsmen with riffles and machetes along the farm area as he came out in the night to go round the company,” he said.
Egwu said he mobilized the youths and Police to go in search of the herdsmen.
He said that as they were heading towards the factory, they saw two boys coming back from the farm with palm nuts on their heads who told them they just spotted the herdsmen entering the community.
The source said when they moved towards the location where they were last seen, and the herdsmen on sighting them started running while firing in the air intermittently to scare the villagers away.
He said the herdsmen ran into Mr. Nkemjika at a palm plantation and attacked him with their machete.
When we got there, we saw that the herdsmen had attacked two men who came to carry palm nuts from the farm and they butchered one Mr. Okeke Nkemjika, the farm settlement keeper from Lokpa.
“Seeing what they had done to that man we grouped ourselves into two. I joined some policemen with one of their vans in moving to a hospital at Awgu (neighbouring town in Enugu State) so that we can save the life of the man,” he said.
Mr. Egwu noted that the victim, who received deep machete cut wounds on his back and arm is receiving treatment in the hospital.
Chairman of the Council, Onyebuchi, Ogbadu confirmed the attack.
He, however, said there was nothing before him to prove that the attackers are herdsmen as none of them was arrested.
“Yes, the incident happened. The man is in hospital receiving treatment and we pray he survives.”
