The Police Command in Enugu State says no part of the state or community including Eha-Amufu has been invaded, under siege or its residents displaced recently.
The Spokesman of the Command, SP. Daniel Ndukwe, on Wednesday in a statement in Enugu, said that the Command was aware of a spurious online report alleging that herdsmen had taken over homes and schools in Eha-Amufu community.
Ndukwe said that after a diligent review, the Command declared the report as “baseless, mischievous, and a calculated attempt to mislead the public and instill fear.”
According to him, the farm settlements allegedly overrun by herdsmen are temporary dwellings used by farmers who periodically return to their permanent residences in their villages.
Ndukwe noted that available records indicated that farmers were temporarily displaced from these farm settlements during farmer-herder clashes sometimes in 2021 and 2022.
He said that peace and order had since been restored to Eha-Amufu through joint security operations contrary to the misleading report.
“The Police Command particularly acknowledges the intentional and intensive interventions of the Government of Enugu State to enhance security, especially in Eha-Amufu community and its adjoining communities under the leadership of Gov. Peter Mbah.
“These efforts include deploying 150 military personnel and well-equipped Special Forces, establishing security agency barracks, and constructing the nearly completed 21.7km Agape-Agu-Mgbuji-Ogbete access road leading to some farm settlements in the community.
“Regrettably, the medium that published the report ignored these facts and timelines, using unrelated pictures to support its sensational claims.
“After diligent forensic and digital fact-checking, it was discovered that the images were taken from old reports on incidents in neighboring states and other locations, then mischievously repurposed to mislead the public,” he said.
According to him, pictures of burnt houses posted by Amnesty International in condemnation of the Feb. 4, attack on the Nkalaeha community in a neighboring state have been falsely misrepresented in the report as a recent occurrence in Eha-Amufu farm settlements.
The spokesman said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, had urged the public to disregard the unfounded report.
He said that the commissioner reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the police and other security agencies to maintaining law, order, and security across the state.
“The command calls on citizens, particularly those in the allegedly affected communities of Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, to remain law-abiding, cooperate with security agencies, and report any genuine security concerns through official channels.
