The people of Amofia Umuhu, Eha-Amufu, in Enugu State were thrown into mourning as they laid to rest 29-year-old Donatus Ndubuisi, a student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), who was brutally killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Ndubuisi, an only child and sole hope of his widowed mother, was gunned down on February 28, 2025, while assisting her on their farm.
His father had also been a victim of similar violence in the past, making his murder a devastating repeat of tragedy for his grieving mother.
Family sources revealed that Ndubuisi had traveled home from Enugu, where he was studying and working as a solar energy technician, to check on his mother.
Upon arrival, he realized she had gone to the farm and decided to join her to help with cassava harvesting.
It was during this task that they were ambushed by gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen.
While trying to escape, Ndubuisi was shot in the back and killed on the spot.
His death has further heightened tension in Eha-Amufu, a community that has suffered relentless attacks since 2021.
A local leader, Samuel Ede, condemned the killing, describing it as part of the ongoing bloodshed that has plagued the region for years.
“This young man was full of promise. He was studying in Enugu and also working as a solar technician to support himself. He went home to see his mother, only to be murdered in cold blood. His father had also been killed by herdsmen, and now his mother has lost her only child in the same manner. This is heartbreaking,” Ede lamented.
In response to the killing, thousands of women from seven autonomous communities in Eha-Amufu staged a mass protest on Thursday, decrying the unending violence and demanding justice for their slain sons and daughters.
They carried placards condemning the gruesome murder and the rape of women, calling on the government to take immediate action.
The protest coincided with Ndubuisi’s burial on Friday, where mourners, overcome with grief, bid farewell to a young man whose life was cut short in his prime.
However, the local government chairman of Isi-Uzo LGA, Obiora Obeagu, dismissed the incident, alleging on social media that the protest was politically motivated to tarnish the image of Governor Peter Mbah’s administration.
His remarks sparked further outrage among the protesters, who accused him of profiting from their suffering while failing to address the insecurity ravaging their communities.
The killing of Ndubuisi adds to the growing list of casualties in Eha-Amufu, a once-peaceful agrarian community now plagued by persistent attacks.
Residents are calling on authorities to intervene decisively and put an end to the bloodshed before more innocent lives are lost.
