“NIGERIA SOLDIERS SIDED WITH MUSLIM FULANI JIHADISTS WHO SLAUGHTERED OUR PEOPLE, CONFISCATED OUR PHONES TO STOP US FROM RECORDING THE ATROCITIES”—Amegu Nkalaha Community, Ebonyi State
ICAC-GEN Reports, February 5, 2025
The people of Amegu Nkalaha in Ebonyi State are grieving. Their once-peaceful community was turned into a bloodbath on Sunday morning when armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen launched a brutal attack. At least 30 lives were lost, homes were set ablaze, and families were left shattered.
“We Were Warned Not to Leave, Then the Attack Happened”
Residents say they had a feeling something terrible was coming. According to them, security forces had warned them not to leave the village on Saturday. Yet, when the attackers arrived the next morning, there was no intervention.
“They came while we were in church. Houses were burning, people were being slaughtered, and there was no one to save us,” a survivor recounted, his voice heavy with grief.
Phones Seized, Voices Silenced
As the dust settled, soldiers arrived—not to help, but to ensure the story wouldn’t be told. They reportedly confiscated phones from residents who were capturing the devastation, warning that if any videos or photos surfaced, they would return and punish them.
“They took our phones so the world wouldn’t see what happened to us,” Simon Edeze, a resident whose phone was seized, said. “They said if they found any evidence of the destruction online, they would come back and destroy our homes too.”
Later, after retrieving the bodies of those killed—including a retired policeman, Mr. James Ogbu—the soldiers returned the phones. But by then, the damage had already been done.
“The Deputy Governor Cares More About Cows Than Us”
Adding to their pain, the community accused Ebonyi’s Deputy Governor, Patricia Obila, of turning against them instead of offering support. They alleged that rather than visiting the grieving families, she ordered mass arrests of villagers, claiming they had killed Fulani-owned cattle.
“Our people are being killed, our homes destroyed, but all she cares about is cows,” one angry resident said. “She hasn’t even come to see the victims or offer any help.”
“Nobody Listens Until It’s About Cows”
There is a deep frustration in the community, a feeling that their lives are worth less than livestock in the eyes of the authorities. When herders’ cows are harmed, there is swift action. But when entire families are wiped out, there is silence.
For now, Amegu Nkalaha is in mourning, and its people are left with a painful question: If those meant to protect us won’t speak for us, who will?