A wave of grief swept through Agwa community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State as families mourned the aftermath of a brutal herdsmen attack that left several dead and others wounded. Oguta LGA Chairman, Hon. Ifeanyi Nnani, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, led his council team to the affected areas, offering comfort to survivors and pledging concrete action to restore security.
Joy Osita Achugwo, a pregnant woman battling for her life after being shot during the invasion, lay in a hospital bed when the delegation arrived. Her story is one of many chilling accounts of a coordinated night assault that saw armed men storm homes and farmlands in Mbano Agwa, leaving behind blood and destruction.
Another victim, Ekene Davis Onyejiekwe, whose younger brother was killed on the spot in their home, described the attack as “a massacre we never saw coming.” His voice cracked as he demanded justice and asked for swift government intervention to secure his village and prevent further bloodshed.
Nnani condemned the killings as an affront to human dignity, assuring the community that a full-scale response was underway. He stated that surveillance operations, in collaboration with security agencies and local stakeholders, had already commenced to prevent any recurrence. “Our land will not become a battlefield. We must secure it by all means necessary,” he declared at the site.
Federal Commissioner representing Imo State at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Kyrian Uchegbu, also visited the scene, labeling the killings as “barbaric and unacceptable.” Speaking at the community square, he urged residents to organize disciplined vigilante groups with State Government backing, stressing the need to identify men and women of integrity to join the operation.
Uchegbu advised against retaliatory violence but acknowledged that some criminal elements may be hiding under the identity of Fulani herdsmen to cause chaos. “Let us be guided and not fall into the trap of lawlessness. Protect your villages with structure, not emotion,” he told youths gathered at the palace of the traditional ruler of Agwa.
The State Government is expected to convene an emergency security council meeting before the weekend to address the rising tension across Oguta, with reports indicating the attacks may be part of a wider security threat in the oil-rich region. Meanwhile, community leaders are calling for drones, patrol vehicles, and federal security presence to forestall future violence.
