Professor Paul Nnamchi, House of Reps member, representing Enugu East/Isi Uzo Federal Constituency, has called on the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, to redeploy soldiers withdrawn from Eha-Amufu, an agrarian community in Enugu State that has been plagued by banditry since 2019.
The soldiers, stationed at Eha-Amufu, a border community between Enugu and Benue states, were withdrawn just before a planned #EndBadGovernance protest and have yet to be returned, despite promises from the authorities.
Nnamchi’s request for the soldiers’ redeployment follows a recent surge in banditry attacks over the weekend, which resulted in the brutal killing of three farmers and left several others severely injured.
These victims are currently receiving medical treatment in private hospitals in Enugu.
The lawmaker lamented that the bandits, suspected to be herders, have caused extensive damage in the community over the past five years, killing more than 200 residents and displacing thousands from seven villages, burning homes and properties valued in the millions.
He noted that these attacks are particularly targeted at the harvest season and the Christmas period when many indigenes return home for the festivities, with bandits also kidnapping returnees for ransom.
Nnamchi recalled that the security situation in Eha-Amufu had prompted the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, to approve the establishment of an army barracks in the community earlier this year after an on-site security assessment.
He further urged the Acting Army Chief to expedite the construction of the barracks and ensure immediate redeployment of military personnel to Eha-Amufu to restore peace.
Additionally, Nnamchi appealed to the federal government to provide relief materials and appropriate compensation to the victims of the attacks, particularly those who have lost their rice farms to the encroaching cattle of the herders.
