By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has commenced a full-scale investigation into the gruesome attack on a Fulani residential settlement in the Ifite area of Awka, in Awka South Local Government Area of the state, where four persons were killed and residential huts set ablaze by gunmen on Tuesday.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of July 21, also involved the killing and slaughtering of cattle, with the attackers reportedly stealing portions of the cow meat before fleeing the scene.
Reacting to the incident in a statement issued on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the attack occurred at a residential settlement in the hinterland of Agu-Ifite, Awka, adding that operatives of the Police-led Joint Security Team responded to a distress call and found four male victims with fatal injuries.
According to Ikenga, preliminary observations at the scene showed that the victims had their hands tied and sustained multiple injuries, including machete cuts and blunt-force trauma. He added that two residential huts in the settlement were also set ablaze during the attack.
The Police spokesman further disclosed that four dead cows were found within the vicinity, while two other cattle had been slaughtered, with portions of their meat removed by the assailants. He said some sacks containing abandoned chunks of meat were also recovered a short distance from the scene.
The Command said preliminary findings indicated that the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, double-barrel guns and machetes.
It was further gathered that one survivor who reportedly escaped unharmed is currently assisting the Police-led joint security team with useful information that could aid the investigation and help identify those behind the attack.
SP Ikenga, condemned what it described as a brutal attack on a residential settlement and assured the victims’ families and the wider community that it would pursue a professional, comprehensive and intelligence-driven investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Command also extended its condolences to the families of the victims through the Sarkin Fulani and urged residents to remain calm while cooperating with security agencies by providing credible and timely information that could assist the investigation.
The development was also confirmed by the National Deputy Director-General of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, who said the incident occurred at the cattle camp of Alhaji Aminu Mohammed in Ifite Awka Community.
Siddiki identified the four deceased as Mohammed Bujumi, Hassan Bujumi, Abubakar Bujumi and Sani Bujumi, describing them as brothers from the same family.
According to the MACBAN official, the victims were carrying out their cattle-rearing activities when the armed assailants invaded the settlement and opened fire.
The association also alleged that several cattle were killed during the attack, while some of the slaughtered cattle carcasses were reportedly taken away by the attackers in the direction of neighbouring Mgbakwu Community.
A survivor of the attack, who spoke at a police station in Awka, also confirmed that the assailants killed four brothers and slaughtered seven cattle. He further recounted how the attackers opened fire when security personnel arrived at the scene, but fled after encountering superior firepower from the security team.
The survivor said the assailants had already started slaughtering the cattle before the arrival of the security personnel.
MACBAN leader condemned the attack and called for the immediate investigation and prosecution of those responsible. The association also appealed to the Anambra State Government to strengthen security measures to protect law-abiding residents across the state.
Siddiki commended the prompt response of the Joint Security Team and the state government, while urging members of the association to remain calm, stay within their camps and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
In a follow-up statement issued on Wednesday, July 22, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, reiterated the Command’s condemnation of the attack, while also assuring that the Command remains committed to conducting a thorough, professional and intelligence-driven investigation to ensure that those responsible for the attack were identified and brought to justice.
While noting that Anambra has continued to live in unity, the Police Spokesman also appealed to members of the public to remain calm and remain united, irrespective of the ethnic divides, the discord, and the ethnic tensions the criminal elements are trying to create in the state with the attack.
He further urged the public to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and timely information that could assist the ongoing investigation, assuring that further developments would be communicated as the probe progresses.
