At least six persons have been killed after gun-trotting Fulani herdsmen and operatives of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) had a violent arms clash in the Adani area in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Trouble reportedly started on Sunday when some Fulani herdsmen shot a member of Igga community on his farm and also blocked sympathisers from taking the victim to the hospital.

The refusal of the Fulani herdsmen to allow the wounded farmer get medical help reportedly triggered angry reactions from residents, who called the attention of some members of the ESN to the scene.

“It led to a terrible, bloody showdown between the herders and the ESN. Six persons were killed. I cannot say if they were herdsmen or villagers,” a source said.

Another source explained that while the herdsmen formed a barricade to prevent the young farmer from being rushed to the hospital, the ESN operatives came on motorcycles and shot at the crowd of people barricading the injured farmer.

“After that episode played out, a mosque was also razed by angry youths in the community, leading many residents of Adani, an agrarian community, to flee the area to neighbouring communities in Nsukka and Igboetiti Local Government Areas,” he said.

Some of the fleeing Adani residents said hunters saw local vigilantes and unfamiliar faces suspected to be ESN operatives in bushes searching for Fulani herdsmen and their cattle.

The residents noted that they feared the herdsmen might be planning a reprisal attack.

It was learnt that the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu, and other top security operatives in the state had visited the community on Monday on a fact-finding mission.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Daniel