Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, said the government had an idea of those that sponsored herdsmen to kill 15 people in Ebonyi communities.
The governor, who said the herdsmen allegedly perpetrated the mayhem with AK-47 rifles, urged security agencies to fish out the killers.
Umahi, who spoke at Obegu in the Ishielu Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday, said, “I got very shocking news this afternoon about the attack on about four communities of Nkalaha, Obegu, Amaezu and Umuhuali in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state by herdsmen wielding AK-47 rifles. They came yesterday (Monday) and killed 15 members of these communities.
“Good enough, we have some traces of the sponsors; we have the traces of those who came here. I will not disclose it, but I am going to escalate the identities of the people to the highest authorities and we wait to see what they will do. But we condemn this attack; if it is allowed to go this way, it is capable of generating very serious civil war among the nations of Nigeria.”
“I want to demand from the security chiefs to fish out these people because they are well known; they should fish them out. Let them face the wrath of the law.”
Also, the Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday confirmed the killing of six persons in Adani community, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the state by yet to be identified hoodlums.
It also confirmed that another two persons were injured in the incident, while shops and other properties were destroyed.
It was gathered that a young man from Igga, who was working at Adarice Factory in Adani, was shot by the herders over a misunderstanding, even as the herdsmen were said to have blocked sympathisers from taking the man to hospital.
The incident, according to sources, led to a clash between Fulani herdsmen and members of Igga community in Adani.
However, a statement issued in the wee hours of Tuesday by the Command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, indicated that the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu led other security agencies on a visit to the area on Monday.