Six year old girl dies after bandits attack parents’ car

Kenneth Ofoma, ENUGU

A six-year old girl, Uchechukwu Onyibor, has given up the ghost followin injuries sustained three days after suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked her and her parents at Eke, Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State.

Eke is the hometown of Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, and Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, who just buried his late wife last Saturday.

Uchechukwu died Tuesday night from gunshot wounds she sustained during the attack.  She was attacked alongside with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Onyibor.

Her mother, who also sustained a head injury, was said to be on danger list, while the condition of her father, a banker with a new generation bank, could not be ascertained.

Ebere Amaraizu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Enugu State, confirmed the report.

He added: “I have just received the report that the girl is dead. It is unfortunate. But I can assure you that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will soon be arrested.”

Uchechukwu and her parents were on their way to their Oma Eke country home when the suspected herdsmen rushed out of the bush and attacked them.

A community source had earlier told journalists that the banker was driving his car to his country home when the gunmen attacked him.

The source said: "On sighting the gunmen, he was said to have attempted to escape, but the gunmen shot him in the process, but we thank God he survived as people from the neighbourhood immediately rushed him and other family members to undisclosed hospital for treatment.”

The source disclosed that several other victims had been attacked on the same location the gunmen attacked the banker.  The PPRO also confirmed the incidents describing the attacks as unfortunate.

Amaraizu, however insisted that the identity of the gunmen was not yet known as to warrant attributing the incidents to Fulani herdsmen. "We don't know the identity of the gunmen yet.”

"We have commenced investigation. We are investigating to know what happened. We are going to bring the perpetrators to book," he said