A civic advocacy group, Concerned Professionals for Good Governance, has described recent reports alleging the killing of 25 persons by herdsmen in Enugu State as “completely false” and a calculated attempt to instill fear and discredit the efforts of the State Government.
In a press statement titled “Debunking the Politricks of Insecurity: Enugu State on Our Minds”, the group’s coordinator, Okechukwu Nwafor, dismissed the viral story with the headline “25 Persons Killed, Scores Injured As Armed Herdsmen Attack Enugu Village” as being built on “devious masturbatory hallucination.”
“Agreed that lately, marauding herdsmen have been running amok across the country,” Nwafor said, “however, there was no such attack on the agrarian communities of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area in Enugu State that left 25 persons dead.”
According to the group, the narrative is not only unfounded but is also part of a broader campaign to undermine the strides made by the Enugu State Government under Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, especially in the area of security.
“This independent rebuttal of the falsehood targeted at diminishing the halcyon strides of Governor Mbah and the Enugu State Government in the area of security is long overdue,” the statement read. “We MUST not suffer alarmists and fifth columnists gladly. We have therefore chosen to debunk the devious falsehood of tale-mongers and bearers of false report and fake news.”
The group claimed that this is not the first time such a narrative has surfaced.
“Twice now, the false tale of marauding herdsmen sacking communities in Enugu State has been bandied about by those who are desperate to undermine the success of the state in protecting lives and property,” Nwafor stated. “Since they can’t fault the government’s work in infrastructure, education, healthcare, or agriculture, they’ve chosen to hype isolated incidents and falsely alarm Ndi Enugu and Nigerians.”
He added that after the viral report emerged, the group conducted its own investigations, reaching out to local vigilantes, security agencies, and government officials at both the state and local levels — all of whom confirmed that the alleged attack never occurred.
“Enugu State has a premium, digitized Security Control Centre and works closely with the police, military, and other paramilitary agencies. The state has become a model for good governance and a preferred destination for corporate, public sector, and private retreats, as well as national conventions,” the group said.
Calling the state “arguably the safest in the South,” the group praised the security architecture under Governor Mbah, crediting it for making Enugu a magnet for investment, tourism, and high-profile national events, including the upcoming NBA and Nigerian Guild of Editors conferences.
“We can say without equivocation that Enugu State is safe and is deservedly emerging as a preferred destination for investments, business, tourism, and living,” Nwafor affirmed.
The group also urged the media to uphold professional standards and verify information before publishing, particularly on sensitive issues such as security.
“Fake news on matters of security should be treated as a serious threat,” the statement concluded. “We must not allow the politricks of insecurity to oil the frontiers of devious politics.”
