Eleven persons have been reportedly killed in attack by suspected warlords on the residents of Inikiri Effium community in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi State.
The people of Effium and Ezza Effium in the council have been at war since January 2021 with many lives lost and properties worth billions of naira destroyed.
Some soldiers sent to the community for peace keeping were also abducted and have not been seen till today.
LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that children between the ages of two and 12 years and a pregnant woman were killed by warlords who invaded Inikiri in the community.
A resident of the area, Pastor Freeman Nwonu told LEADERSHIP Friday that the warlords invaded the community at about 2:pm and shot sporadically till 6:pm without soldiers stationed in the area for peace keeping stopping them.
He said a health centre built for the community by international organisation, AMURT Foundation and about 30 residential houses were razed during the invasion.
“Yesterday being 1st May, 2024, Uffium warlords attacked our people from 2 pm till 6pm and they killed eleven persons and the buildings they burnt there were about 30 buildings including a hospital that was built for us by AMURT foundation, an international organization.
“The most annoying thing is that soldiers that were deployed there for peace keeping didn‘t do anything to stop them. They were there till the end of the whole thing and even denied that nothing happened in our community that yesterday“, he stated.
A stakeholder of the community who did not want his name in print said the incident happened very close to his house and lamented the massacre.
The state police command spokesperson Joshua Ukandu said he had not received any information on the incident.
