Tension has gripped the Onoli, Ugwuleshi Autonomous Community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State following the killing of a young man, Onuchukwu Ogbaki, allegedly by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The 30-year-old was reportedly attacked on Friday while checking on his farm near the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, close to the Enugu-Abia border.
He succumbed to his injuries around 2 am on Saturday at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, where he had been rushed for treatment.
Local sources say the attack is the latest in a wave of violent incidents that have plagued the area, particularly Obuovia village, where residents have been forced to abandon their farms due to frequent threats and invasions.
“Our brother was attacked while trying to check his farmland,” said a grieving relative, Mr. Sampson Okolie.
“The herdsmen have already chased many people from their farms. Few still risk going there, and now our brother has lost his life for it.”
Okolie also claimed that Obuovia village has been completely deserted, with suspected herdsmen now occupying lands previously cultivated by locals.
The President-General of Ugwuleshi Autonomous Community, Mr. Aaron Chidi Osu, confirmed the incident and called on the government to act swiftly.
“This is no longer news to us,” Osu said.
“My community has been under siege. Our people live in fear and can no longer go to their farms. We’ve reported the matter to the police and now urge the state government to intervene before more lives are lost.”
