Over 15 people are believed to have been abducted from the Mgbuji Eha-Amufu Community in the Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State by gunmen who are thought to be Islamic terrorists posing as herders.
On Monday morning, the neighborhood was invaded, and the residents were taken hostage.
According to reports, the kidnapping happened about 7 am on Mgbuji-Agu Road close to the railroad crossing in Mgbuji town.
Sources said that while some of the locals were being taken up on their various rice farms, others were being picked up while riding tricycles to their farms.
After the kidnappings, the invading terrorists are believed to have headed toward the border between Enugu and Benue State.
Chijioke Ogbodo, a spokesman for the Mgbuji Community, bemoaned that soldiers recently posted to Eha-Amufu failed to respond and allegedly refused to answer distress calls after confirming the abductions on Monday.
He urged the state authorities to act to save the victims, noting that their crime had been attempting to steal food from their fields.
According to report, on July 5, gunmen dressed as police officers and soldiers abducted seven members of the same community and shot three more. The attackers are thought to be Islamic terrorists.
Since September 2021, multiple attacks have occurred in the village and other nearby settlements in Eha-Amufu. Hundreds of homes and other pieces of property worth millions of naira have been destroyed, along with numerous fatalities.
