AWKA — The Anambra State Police Command has launched a manhunt for gunmen who killed four herders and razed two houses during an attack on a settlement in Agu-Ifite, Awka, in Awka South Local Government Area.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, also left several cattle dead, sparking panic in the community.
The National Deputy Director-General of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the attackers killed four herders, slaughtered cattle, and set houses ablaze. He added that the assailants fled with some of the butchered meat towards the neighbouring Mgbakwu community.
“One of the herders narrowly escaped the attack. MACBAN strongly condemns this heinous and senseless attack and calls on all relevant security agencies to immediately investigate the incident, apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Siddiki said.
One of the surviving herders alleged that the attackers killed four brothers and slaughtered seven cattle. He claimed that when security operatives accompanied by military personnel arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning, the gunmen opened fire on the soldiers before fleeing after encountering superior firepower.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives of the police-led Joint Security Team responded to a distress call and found four male victims with fatal injuries.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had their hands tied and suffered multiple machete cuts and blunt force injuries. Two residential huts within the settlement were set ablaze during the attack.
The police observed four dead cows at the scene, while two other cattle had been slaughtered, with portions of the meat removed by the assailants. Some sacks containing abandoned chunks of meat were recovered a short distance from the scene.
Ikenga said the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, double-barrel guns, and machetes. One survivor escaped unharmed and is assisting the police-led Joint Security Team with useful information.
The Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered a comprehensive investigation and a manhunt for those behind the attack.