By CHARLES IWUOHA

Panic has gripped residents of Agwa Community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State following a deadly attack by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday that left at least five people brutally murdered and several others injured.

The brazen assault has reignited fears across the region, as locals now live in constant dread of further violence.

Eyewitness accounts confirm that the heavily armed attackers stormed the oil-rich community, seizing control of farmlands and key roads while unleashing violence on unsuspecting residents.

In the wake of the chaos, not only were lives lost, but at least three persons were also kidnapped by the rampaging herders, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The bloodshed began in Umuekpu town within the Mbano Agwa autonomous community, where a young man was gunned down in cold blood and his elder brother seriously wounded.

The terror then extended to Okwu Ogbaku road, where four more people, including a young woman and commercial motorcycle riders, were slaughtered as they went about their daily routines.

This is not the first time Agwa has suffered such horror. Just two weeks ago, the same community was thrown into mourning after herdsmen invaded Umuekpu and Obeakuma, shooting a pregnant woman and other civilians, many of whom are still battling for their lives in various hospitals.

Locals say this latest attack is part of an escalating pattern of terror that has plagued Agwa for over two years.

According to residents, the invaders have adopted strategic and deceptive methods, often using their cattle to block roads like the Amakohia Ubi?Agwa, Obibi Ogbaku?Agwa, and Ejemekwuru?Agwa routes, thereby forcing travelers to slow down before launching attacks, kidnappings, and rapes.

Armed with AK-47 rifles and machetes, the herdsmen reportedly roam freely at night, firing sporadically into the air to terrify locals and dominate the area.

Farming in Agwa has now come to a halt. The once-thriving agricultural community has seen its crops trampled, farmlands seized, and economic trees destroyed.

Residents say over 20 people have been abducted this year alone, most only released after paying heavy ransoms.

One eyewitness, visibly shaken, called on the Imo State Government under Governor Hope Uzodimma and all relevant security agencies to intervene before the situation explodes into a full-blown crisis.

?These herdsmen are terrorizing us daily. We no longer farm, we no longer sleep. If this continues, there will be a violent clash. The government must act now,? he warned.

Traditional ruler of Mbano Agwa autonomous community, HRH Eze Sylvester Onuegbu, condemned the carnage in strong terms, lamenting that despite previous reports to authorities including the Police, DSS, and state officials, the herdsmen returned with even more brutality.

He decried the unbearable hardship now faced by his people, who are gripped by fear, hunger, and economic ruin.

The Agwa Central Union (ACU), in a strongly statement released Thursday, echoed the monarch?s plea, calling on Governor Uzodimma, Oguta LGA Chairman Hon. Ifeanyi Nnani, the Army, and security forces to immediately expel the killer herdsmen from their land. ?Our people are under siege. This evil must stop now,? the union said.

Efforts to reach the Imo State Police Command Public Relations Officer for official comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.

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