Ndiagu Amofia, a once-thriving village in Umuhu autonomous community, Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, now lies in ruins after a devastating attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The assault, which occurred on Friday, February 28, 2025, forced hundreds of residents to flee their ancestral homes in fear for their lives.
Reports indicate that the attackers set two houses on fire, ransacked several others, and killed a final-year university student—the only child of a widow.
The student’s uncle also sustained gunshot wounds, further plunging the community into mourning.
During a visit to Ndiagu Amofia Umuhu on Monday, a SaharaReporters crew found the village completely deserted, its farmlands abandoned and homes left in disarray.
The once-bustling agricultural community now sits eerily silent, covered in dry leaves, a ghost of its former self.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that the herdsmen are still lurking in the area.
As the team approached the affected parts of the village, gunshots rang out, followed by the unmistakable sounds of cows, suggesting that the invaders had settled in the community.
Conversations during the visit were conducted in hushed tones, with the crew’s local guide—who was also a victim—moving cautiously, hiding, and peering around to ensure safety.
“We are in a state of panic,” said Mr. Godwin Chukwudi Odoh, chairman of Ndiagu Amofia village. They burned two houses, killed a final-year university student and only child of a widow. I was targeted, but I escaped by hiding in the bush. My house was burned, and my wife and newborn baby were forced to flee.”
The attack has left survivors homeless and struggling to survive.
“As we speak, I have nothing left,” Odoh lamented. “To eat, I depend on the generosity and kindness of the people. I’m currently squatting with a relation. It’s disheartening that since the attack, no government agency has brought food or assistance to us.”
Odoh expressed confusion over the attack, stating, “I don’t know. We don’t have problems with Fulanis, and this is the first time we are witnessing this kind of attack.”
He further noted that while some government officials had visited, there had been no concrete response.
“Since the attack, some government officials have come, but I have never heard anything from them thereafter. I don’t know whether they came to verify if the attack happened or not. But you have seen the burned houses. My own house was destroyed. They actually came for me, but I saw them from afar with AK-47 rifles. I escaped through the backyard, ran inside the bush, and hid.”
Recalling the harrowing experience, Odoh recounted, “When they came, my wife, who gave birth barely three months ago, was asked about me, and she told them I wasn’t around. Two of them entered the house, ransacked it, and took away everything valuable, including money and my motorcycle.
“After looting, they told my wife to leave the house and threatened that if they returned and found her, she would be killed. A few minutes later, they came back and set the house on fire, burning all our belongings, including clothes and our yam barn. The very clothes I am wearing were given to me by sympathizers. As we speak, I have nothing left. To eat, I depend on generosity and kindness. I’m currently squatting with a relation.”
“It is even more disheartening that since the attack, no government agency has provided us with food or relief materials. We have lost everything, not by our making. What government officials were busy doing was trying to whitewash the attack,” he lamented.
Odoh stressed the urgency of government intervention, stating, “As you witnessed how we were sneaking around to see the burned houses, you heard the voices, the noise of cows, and the gunshots. This proves that Fulani herdsmen are still in Ndiagu Amofia. Our people have been driven away, and now, even retrieving basic necessities from our homes is a dangerous task.
“We need the government to step in and drive them out so that our people can return to their farms and homes. We depend on farming for survival. I am appealing to both the government and kind-hearted individuals to come to our aid.”
Other affected residents shared similar heartbreaking experiences.
Odoh listed some of the victims, saying, “Igwurube Idenyi’s house was razed down like mine—nothing was salvaged. Others whose homes were looted and vandalized include Okibe Eze, Ododo Nwa-Ogboku, Cyprian Ani, and Igwurube Ede.”
Another victim, James Igwurube, recounted his ordeal: “I went to the farm that day, and when I returned, I found that our houses had been burned. My father died from the shock of hearing about the incident. I appeal to the government for assistance.”
The displaced villagers are pleading for urgent intervention to reclaim their land and restore their livelihoods.
“We need the government to help us take back our community so that we can resume our normal lives,” Odoh emphasized.
