A farmer in Nkalagu community, Ishielu Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Mr John Igwe, has lamented what he termed constant attacks and occupation of their farm lands by suspended herdsmen.

Speaking on the plight of his community, Igwe said: “Nkalagu community, once a peaceful and crisis-free community has since 2024 witnessed series of unprovoked attacks by Fulani herdsmen without any form of protection from the authorities concerned.”

According to him, herdsmen have taking over their farm lands,feed their cows with their crops and occupy their farms, barring them from gaining access to those lands.

His words: “We have been facing this problem since the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari but it became worse when they started killing villagers, raping our women, destroying our crops and seizing our lands. We have complained several times to the authorities but nothing was done.

” They became emboldened that in November 2024 they killed a man and his son which made the youths to mobilize to provide security for the village since security agencies refused to help us

”Thereafter, on January 25, 2025, the herdsmen took over my motherl’s only land and many other people’s lands very close to the village. As it was becoming clear that they will soon over-run the small harmless community, the youths decided to meet them for peace talks but were attacked, claiming that they killed their cows. As we we’re trying to come to terms with that, they attacked the village on Sunday morning of February 3, 2025 and besieged it.

“As we were counting our losses, on February 5, 2025 they still came back with same claim that the youths came back to kill some of their cows again. They mandated security operatives to arrest every youth in the community and hand them over to them.

“Having faced this unbearable situation in my village and feeling no one is safe again, I decided to leave the village and my country as no place is safe for me.

“I am therefore using this medium to call on the government and security agencies to help in ending this calculated attacks and killings going on in my community and country, Nigeria”.