Daniel Olinya, Anglican Bishop of Eha-Amufu Diocese in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, has dismissed reports alleging mass killings and arson in Eha-Amufu, noting that many have mistaken Eha-Amufu for Nkala-Eha Community in Ebonyi State, which suffered grisly attacks in February this year.
Bishop Olinya said while Isi-Uzo LGA in general and Eha-Amufu communities and farm settlements in particular had suffered suspected herders’ attacks over the years, peaking between 2020 and 2022 when farm settlements and communities were sacked, security had since improved under the Governor Peter Mbah’s dispensation.
He said that unlike in December 2022 and January 2023 when many Eha-Amufu residents, including himself, escaped to townships and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps where they spent the Christmas and New Year, relative peace and order had returned to the Communities.
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The clergy, who fielded questions from newsmen after briefing the governor on the actual security situation in Eha-Amufu, explained that apart from isolated incidents of security breach such as the recent murder of a young undergraduate, the people go to their farms.
He, however, noted that most people were still afraid to live in many of the farm settlements as they were far removed from their communities. He blamed it on the fears instilled by the gruesome attacks of 2020 to 2022, but promised to expedite advocacy to encourage people to return to their farm settlements, given what Governor Mbah was doing in the area of security.
“There is no mass killing. But Abor people used to run away to Eha-Amufu town to stay any time they hear that the herders were coming. But not that there was any mass killing this year in Eha-Amufu
“Even a blind man will tell you that he has seen what Mbah is doing. The security situation in Eha-Amufu has become very good because we do not run again. And we have seen his efforts. Farmers are ready to go back to their farm settlements. And when I go back now, I will start encouraging them to go back because the governor has done something that will make our people go back to their farm settlements.
“Anybody, who refuses to go back now, will not say it is because the herders are chasing him because they cannot chase anybody now in Eha-Amufu with what our Governor has done and still doing,” he said.
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The Bishop noted that the problem in Eha-Amufu started way back in 2020 and 2022 when the entire Eha-Agu, Mbuji-Agu, Ebor-Agu and Mgbuji-Agu were sacked completely. He added that even those in Eha-Amufu town were also sacked. “Like myself, I had to run away from my Bishop’s Court because the Fulani militia were approaching Eha-Amufu town. So, everybody had to run away.
“I ran to Bishop Agbo’s house; that’s Bishop of Nsukka, and that was where I celebrated my Christmas that year and the New Year,” he revealed.
Continuing, he said, “but this recent time, like this year, we cannot say that anybody has been killed, apart from the young man, the undergraduate, who was unfortunately killed at Ndi-Agu Amofia. But, as I said, there is nothing like mass killings this year in Eha-Amufu.
“Nkala-Eha is in Ebonyi State, but people mistook it because we (Eha-Amufu and Nkala-Eha) share the same boundary. So, this made some people say that it was in Eha-Amufu. It wasn’t in Eha-Amufu. It was in Ebonyi State.”
