The
Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mr. Nwodibo Ekechukwu has become
the first casualty of the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State by suspected
Fulani herdsmen.
The
Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, confirmed on Tuesday that
Ekechukwu had been posted out of the state to another command.
She,
however, did not state why the police boss was redeployed.
“The
Enugu State CP has been posted out of the state to another command and a new
CP, Emmanuel Ojukwu, has taken over. The redeployment is part of strategies to
improve police effectiveness across the country,” she stated.
On
Monday last week, no fewer than 20 persons in Ukpabi Nimbo, an agrarian
community in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, were killed
while many other residents were injured during an attack by Fulani herdsmen.
It
was learnt that scores of armed cattle breeders, reportedly numbering more than
100, stormed the sleepy community in the early hours of the day.
The
police high command was said to have been angry due to the fact that the
villagers had informed the state police command about the impending attack but
the formation did nothing to forestall the killings.
Enugu
State has experienced significant bloodshed from attacks by Fulani herdsmen and
communal violence.
Many
Nigerians were angry due to the fact that the police authorities had to wait
for instructions from the Presidency before taking action against the culprits.
Ironically,
it was reported in March that 76 residents of Ugwuneshi autonomous community in
the Awgu LGA of Enugu State, were arrested while attempting to rescue their
wives from the captivity of the Fulani herdsmen.
None
of the cattle rearers, who were allegedly the aggressors, was arrested.
Ojukwu,
the new state police commissioner, is a former Force PRO.
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