Six children have been killed in an attack on a community in Anambra State.

The children, all under 10 years old, were killed during an attack on a Fulani community in Oba, Idemili Local Government Area.

Residents said the attack was carried out by suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), amid escalating ethnic tensions in Nigeria.

Members of the community told PREMIUM TIMES they would not retaliate as they are trusting the security authorities to deliver justice to them, with the host community and state assuring of solidarity and assistance.

The attack happened on Tuesday evening but the facts were slow to emerge and PREMIUM TIMES just confirmed on Thursday evening.

Horrific photographs obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show the deceased children savagely macheted and one said to be just one-year-old, burnt.

Also, the background of the photographs shows razed homes. The impact of the attack suggests children were targeted or that they were only killed because elderly members of the community were absent at the time attack was carried out.

PREMIUM TIMES also obtained a short video showing the remains of the children wrapped in white cloths ready after they were washed and before internment according to Islamic tradition.

Following the attack, the community is now displaced.



Surviving victims are now taking refuge inside the army barrack in Onitsha, the patriarch of the community, Dogo Isa, army sources, and Mahmud Imam, who has seen the displaced persons, told PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.

All the six children were buried inside the barrack, Mr Isa said, a claim corroborated by other sources. Mr Isa said the oldest of the slain children was six-year-old.

The police spokesperson for the state, Haruna Mohammed, said he was not aware of the attack.



An IPOB lawyer and spokesperson, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said, “I am not aware of this one” when contacted on Thursday.

Names of the slain children as disclosed by Mr Isa are:

1. Nasiru Laminu, two years old;

2. Sirajo Ali, two years old;

3. Zainabu Mutmeru, four years old;


4. Aminu, two years old;

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5. Mairo, six years old; and

6. Maryam, one year old.

Mr Isa said nothing happened to their cattle because it was in the evening when the animals had been herded to the stream.

He said he has been in Anambra State for 43 years but, on Monday, he was called by a person, who asked him and his extended family to leave the community.

“The person told me I should take my family to the north because the Fulani are no longer wanted in Igboland,” Mr Isa said. “They said they gave me one day to leave. But around 5 p.m., on Tuesday, I was called that I should come home. Then, I met six of our children dead and my house razed. All of us had to leave to stay in the barrack here.

“I have begged the soldiers to help me get the man that called me to take him to the police.”

IPOB
Led by a fugitive, Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB is agitating for the secession of the Igbo from Nigeria, decades after late Odumegwu Ojukwu first mobilised the nationalist aspirations of the ethnic group to break away, resulting in a 30-month civil war (1967-1970) that led to the death of millions.

Nnamdi Kanu
Leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu [Photo Credit: Pulse.ng]
With years of bad governance and the government’s failure to address the challenge of national integration, secessionist agitations were reawakened by IPOB, leveraging people’s anger against the state.
In 2017, Nigeria proscribed IPOB and declared it a terrorist organisation amid a major standoff with the army in Abia, the home state of Mr Kanu.

The group has rejected being labelled a terrorist organisation saying its actions and demand for secession are peaceful. But it recently established a formation called Eastern Security Network, which it said would protect the Igboland “against Fulani herders.”


Criminal herders have been involved for a long time in deadly conflicts with farmers across the country – and recently in cases of abductions for ransom.

But communities in southern Nigeria have recently declared readiness to resort to self-help against the Fulani herders, bringing even the innocent among them at risk of indiscriminate violence.

The IPOB-linked Eastern Security Network is currently the target of a “not-so full military operation” in Orlu axis of Imo State.

In Oba area, fear of a Fulani reprisal has risen, a local police source said.

Mr Isa said the host community leaders had been calling to sympathise with him and assure him of solidarity. He said he should let security authorities handle the matter instead of resorting to self-help.

PREMIUM TIMES could not speak with any of the local leaders but a soldier corroborated Mr Isa’s account.

“They said they heard that some Fulani were coming to attack but I have told them that it is not true and no Fulani will attack them in retaliation but they should help us find the person that called me and those that attacked us,” Mr Isa said.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/443855-exclusive-six-children-killed-in-attack-on-anambra-community.html

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In Oba area, fear of a Fulani reprisal has risen, a local police source said.
Mr Isa said the host community leaders had been calling to sympathise with him and assure him of solidarity. He said he should let security authorities handle the matter instead of resorting to self-help.
PREMIUM TIMES could not speak with any of the local leaders but a soldier corroborated Mr Isa’s account.
“They said they heard that some Fulani were coming to attack but I have told them that it is not true and no Fulani will attack them in retaliation but they should help us find the person that called me and those that attacked us,” Mr Isa said.

It is now obvious Nnamdi Kanu and Ipob are now a full blown terrorist organization. Look at how they now put unrest in once calm community of Oba.

If I read correctly even the community members are sympathising with them , showing solidarity meaning they are at lost to such carnage carried out by bitter filled Igbos.

Now the big question is" Why will someone go to a community cohabiting peacefully to cause problems and unrest there"?


The tendency with which Nnamdi Kanu and his useless group hijacks every single situation in Nigeria is worrisome and which every sensible community must resist by any means possible....That has always led to the loss of lives..

ENDSARS protest started and from no and from no where Nnamdi Kanu and his Terrorist organization hijacked it. Without been told it lead to death of countless people in Oyigbo and over 100 residents who don't know what is happening arrested and some are yet to be traced...

There exist clashes between west/north again Nnamdi Kanu has dragged himself to the centre of the situation and creating problems for communities....

Oba is a peaceful community and hardly will you hear any foolish tale or conflict emanating. The issue of Igbos going there to cause conflict in ever peaceful community is something any Sensible mind should condemn....

Nnamdi Kanu is on a deadly mission and when casualties begins to pour in, he will just go to twitter to e-ranting...


Fools die many times....What is the rationale behind going to communities to create problems where there is none?

Women and Children are to be protected at all cost during war

Shame on their killers

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IPOB and MNK can't stoop too low to slaughter innocent children. Igbos are not barbaric!


The heart of an average Igbo man can't serve such evil to helpless children. Stop attaching violence to IPOB.

This is what years of accumulated anger can cause, I sympathize with the deceased family, I believe that every peaceful citizen of this country have the right to live in any part of the country, as far as they are law abiding. Also, since the open grazing is banned in the East, the herders should comply with the law if not, they would still be targeted or attacked in the East.

Kriss216:
IPOB and MNK can't stoop too low to slaughter innocent children. Igbos are not barbaric!


The heart of an average Igbo man can't serve such evil to helpless children. Stop attaching violence to IPOB.

Imagine how you now support terrorism.

They don't involve in barbaric act but can profile to kill people against their modus operandi..

Anyway the community should quickly Sue for peace and go about their activities....

Unless they want to allow one mad man overrun them..

Juliusmalema:


Imagine how you now support terrorism.

They don't involve in barbaric act but can profile to kill people against their modus operandi..

Anyway the community should quickly Sue for peace and go about their activities....

Unless they want to allow one mad man overrun them..

IPOB is not a terrorist group.

Fulani herdsmen and bandits are real terrorist groups.

Kriss216:
IPOB and MNK can't stoop too low to slaughter innocent children. Igbos are not barbaric!


The heart of an average Igbo man can't serve such evil to helpless children. Stop attaching violence to IPOB.

Same Ibo or another one

Nzeogwu had to kill Sarduna's youngest wife in his coup, a small girl who was not a politician or involved in governance


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Smh. This is not good at all. But this was bound to happen because the ESN/ipob recruits comprise of mostly hoodlums and criminals with AK-47s who are answerable to no one (not to Kanu nor the igbo governors). It would be difficult to even apprehend the perpetrators because I am sure even Nnamdi Kanu does not know most of them (ESN members) nor can he vouch for them.

Kriss216:

IPOB is not a terrorist group.

Fulani herdsmen and bandits are real terrorist groups.

Meaning of Terrorism : the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

*Ipob forcefully evict people

*Ipob killed soldiers and now people's children

*Ipob are unlawful as they have been proscribed by Ibo Governors

*Ipob wants political solution which is referendum but ignore idiot Ibo Politicians while using unneeded propaganda, noise, chest beating and crude attack


.

Juliusmalema:


Imagine how you now support terrorism.

They don't involve in barbaric act but can profile to kill people against their modus operandi..

Anyway the community should quickly Sue for peace and go about their activities....

Unless they want to allow one mad man overrun them..

guy u're fucking retard..ah swear...so u're supporting this fake news...

u shuld be hunted nd cut down u're bad omen to ndigbo..

unshakablejihad:



guy u're fucking retard..ah swear...so u're supporting this fake news...

u shuld be hunted nd cut down u're bad omen to ndigbo..

This further proved us right that Ipob is a terrorist organization...out to be killing and bringing tears to people's eyes..

Buy such barbarism must be limited to Old Imo state..


We respect the sanctity of human lives and as such will never tolerate blood taste demons to turn our lands to another somolia.....mbanu

Let's hope the army doesn't invade Oba and start killing innocent people. Wealthy Oba indigenes must start mobilizing to defend their community from what will definitely be an invasion by soldiers. I sympathize with the family of those children but let's be honest, would these soldiers have buried those children in their barracks if they were Christians? Apparently the Nigerian army is a fulani vigilantee force.

Juliusmalema:


This further proved us right that Ipob is a terrorist organization...out to be killing and bringing tears to people's eyes..

Buy such barbarism must be limited to Old Imo state..


We respect the sanctity of human lives and as such will never tolerate blood taste demons to turn our lands to another somolia.....mbanu

guy u need to shut the fck up, i'm not an ipob apologist nor do u i support such group..but i want u stop supporting fake news..wateva the reason may be..u're on a mission here.

ur heart is so dark nd bitter for ur kind but las las we knw hw ur end will be.

unshakablejihad:


guy u need to shut the fck up, i'm not an ipob apologist nor do u i support such group..but i want u stop supporting fake news..wateva the reason may be..u're on a mission here.

ur heart is so dark nd bitter for ur kind but las las we knw hw ur end will be.

How did you know the news is false?

Will you say something if the news comes from othe regions?

But as far as ipob is concerned there is loads of truth to the publication..

We don't maim lives and not known to such carnage unless provoked..

So why going to a peaceful community to cause mayhem?

That's the trait of terrorism and must be limited to Old Imo where they are currently operating with no check...

How can someone be supporting this sort of barbarism.

SoulMus:



Meaning of Terrorism : the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

*Ipob forcefully evict people

*Ipob killed soldiers and now people's children

*Ipob are unlawful as they have been proscribed by Ibo Governors

*Ipob wants political solution which is referendum but ignore idiot Ibo Politicians while using unneeded propaganda, noise, chest beating and crude attack


.

Please just shvt up!

HOVER206:

Please just shvt up!

Shvt up!! If you Wana boy shut it shut it !! Am speaking and the facts are meants to make dunce wail or dispute the facts..

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SoulMus:


Shvt up!! If you Wana boy shut it shut it !! Am speaking and the facts are meants to make dunce wail or dispute the facts..

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What facts are you taking about about?.
The government is bringing disappointment to it citizens every day, none of their policies have yielded any positive results, and you just commenting without reasoning.

The government has failed, the military is becoming useless day after day and you are here talking against ESN

The media are now writing what the corrupt politicians have paid them to write.


FAKE NEWS