•MACBAN calls for immediate investigation, prosecution of those responsible

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Anambra State Police Command on Wednesday commenced a full-scale investigation into the gruesome attack on a Fulani residential settlement in the Ifite area of Awka, in Awka South Local Government Area of the state.

The incident which took place in the early hours of Tuesday, July 21, 2026 allegedly left four people dead with their residential huts razed by the attacking gunmen.

The assailants also killed and slaughtered some cattle and fled the scene with some portions of the slaughtered cows.

Reacting to the incident in a statement, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the attack occurred at a residential settlement in the hinterland of Agu-Ifite, Awka.

He said that operatives of the Police-led Joint Security Team responded to a distress call and found four male victims with fatal injuries.

Ikenga added: "Preliminary observations at the scene showed that the victims had their hands tied and sustained multiple injuries, including machete cuts and blunt-force trauma.

"Two residential huts in the settlement were also set ablaze during the attack.

"Four dead cows were found within the vicinity, while two other cattle had been slaughtered, with portions of their meat removed by the assailants. Some sacks containing abandoned chunks of meat were also recovered a short distance from the scene."

According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, double-barrel guns and machetes.

It was however gathered that one survivor who reportedly escaped unharmed is currently assisting the Police-led joint security team with useful information that could aid the investigation and help identify those behind the attack.

While describing the attack as a brutal one on a residential settlement, the Police spokesman assured the victims’ families and the wider community that it would pursue a professional, comprehensive and intelligence-driven investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.

The Command also extended its condolences to the families of the victims through the Sarkin Fulani and urged residents to remain calm while cooperating with security agencies by providing credible and timely information that could assist the investigation.

The development was also confirmed by the National Deputy Director-General of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, who said the incident occurred at the cattle camp of Alhaji Aminu Mohammed in Ifite Awka Community.

He identified the four deceased as Mohammed Bujumi, Hassan Bujumi, Abubakar Bujumi and Sani Bujumi, describing them as brothers from the same family.

According to the MACBAN official, the victims were carrying out their cattle-rearing activities when the armed assailants invaded the settlement and opened fire.

The association further alleged that several cattle were killed during the attack, while some of the slaughtered cattle carcasses were reportedly taken away by the attackers in the direction of neighbouring Mgbakwu Community.

survivor of the attack, who spoke at a police station in Awka, also confirmed that the assailants killed four brothers and slaughtered seven cattle.

He further recounted how the attackers opened fire when security personnel arrived at the scene, but fled after encountering superior firepower from the security team.

The survivor said: "The assailants had already started slaughtering the cattle before the arrival of the security personnel."

Condemning the attack, the MACBAN leader in the state called for the immediate investigation and prosecution of those responsible, even as the association also appealed to the Anambra State Government to strengthen security measures to protect law-abiding residents across the state.

Siddiki also commended the prompt response of the Joint Security Team and the state government.

He urged members of the association to remain calm, stay within their camps and avoid taking the law into their own hands.

Meanwhile, a follow-up statement issued on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the PPRO reiterated the Command’s condemnation of the attack, while also assuring that the Command remains committed to conducting a thorough, professional and intelligence-driven investigation to ensure that those responsible for the attack were identified and brought to justice.

While noting that Anambra has continued to live in unity, Ikenga appealed to members of the public to remain calm and remain united, irrespective of the ethnic divides, the discord, and the ethnic tensions the criminal elements are trying to create in the state with the attack.

He further urged the public to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and timely information that could assist the ongoing investigation.