Ndubuisi, fondly called “Ofunwa,” was visiting his mother in Ndiagu Amofia Umuhu village, Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzu LGA, Enugu State, when the incident occurred.
Mrs. Oreku Odogbunwebe, a grieving widow and mother, has recounted the tragic murder of her only child, Deacon Donatus Ndubuisi, who was brutally killed by Fulani herdsmen in their compound on February 28.
Ndubuisi, fondly called “Ofunwa,” was visiting his mother in Ndiagu Amofia Umuhu village, Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzu LGA, Enugu State, when the incident occurred.
His mother recounted, in an interview with SaharaReporters, how they spent the morning together, harvesting cassava, yam, and cowpeas from their farm.
As they worked, they heard gunshots in the distance, but didn’t think much of it until they heard a closer shot.
Ndubuisi’s uncle, who was working in a nearby palm plantation, was shot by the invaders.
Oreku and her son ran in different directions, unaware that Ndubuisi had been shot.
After the attackers left, Oreku searched for her son, calling out his name, but he didn’t respond. A search party was formed, and eventually, they found Ndubuisi’s lifeless body.
Oreku lamented that her only child, who was her sole source of comfort and support, had been taken away from her. “My own lineage and his lineage just closed because he is the only child of his father and my only child. That’s why I have refused to be consoled.”
She described Ndubuisi as a kind and hardworking young man who had graduated from university and was waiting to start his national youth service. He was also a skilled photographer and electrician.
Oreku expressed her frustration and sadness, stating that she had lost everything and was now left with nothing. “I need clothes, I need shelter to stay alive, and I need food. I am going to die of hunger because you can see me that I am no longer a child.”
She appealed to the government to provide her with a house, as she is currently squatting in someone else’s home.
Oreku also urged the authorities to take action against the armed herdsmen responsible for her son’s death.
As she reflected on her loss, Oreku said, “I had told him to go and marry so that I will nurse his children when I am still strong. He would tell me if he goes and marries now, who will support him. We don’t have help, but God has been faithful.”
She narrated, “My son came home on February 27, 2025, to see me because we were not living together; he was living in Enugu metropolis where he was studying. So, he came back on Thursday, Eke Market day, to be with me through the weekend and helped with some home chores.
“On Sunday, he would go back. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that that was the last time he would be with me on this earth,” she explained.
“That day, one of my relations met with him and told him that he should not sleep in Ndiagu Amofia (farm settlement). When my son came, he told me what our relation had said, but at the time he got to the settlement, it was already night. As a human and a mother, I asked him to stay back and sleep because night had already fallen. I was not comfortable letting him go back to the town that night.”
“So, he agreed and slept in the farm settlement. In the morning, we prayed together, and I asked him whether he would be going back that morning, but he said he would be going back to the town in the evening. He said he would accompany me to the farm that morning. We left very early, and before 9:30 am, we were already back. We only harvested some cassava, yam, and cowpeas. When we came back, I cooked food and finished before 12 noon. After he assisted me in processing the cassava, he ate and fetched water for me.”
She further explained that after he fetched water for her and they processed the cassava they harvested, she begged him to break bush mango seeds she had gathered and packed in the house.
“I asked him to help me break them while I was processing cowpeas we harvested from the farm. While we were doing the work, we started hearing gunshots, but we didn’t know where the sounds were coming from. My son said maybe the Fulani herdsmen had come again. I told him that the gunshots were sounding different. It was around 2 pm that we started hearing the shooting.”
“We continued working, and after a short while, we heard another gunshot. This one sounded close, and we didn’t know that they had approached our house. His uncle, who was inside the palm plantation clearing weeds, was the person the invaders shot. We didn’t know the next thing; my son shouted in a loud voice, ‘Jesus,’ and we ran. Because we didn’t know the direction the gunshot came from, we ran in different directions. I didn’t know that they had shot him.”
“After they had gone, I came out and started looking for my son. I went through the direction he ran to, shouting his name, thinking that if he heard my voice, he would come out from where he was hiding. After the search, I went to my brother, Osita, and informed him that I didn’t see my son after the attack. He then went and informed the entire Amofia village, and youths immediately formed a search party to look for him. That is how I lost my son, my only child.”
“My own lineage and his lineage have just closed because he is the only child of his father and my only child. That’s why I have refused to be consoled. At least, if I had another child, that one would be helping me. I will not remain in the village because I will die here. I didn’t know that this kind of tragedy would befall me. All my relations died prematurely; his father also died tragically. He was killed by enemies, but I didn’t know that this kind of tragedy would befall me again.”
“This, my son, was not a troublemaker. If he returned home and I asked him to go out and mingle with his peer group, he would ask me if that was what he returned for. Even that fateful day, when we were returning from the farm, I asked him what items I would carry, and he asked me if I liked suffering. He carried all the things we harvested from the farm, and I followed him. That was the last help I would get from my son.”
“I had never felt or had a premonition that such tragedy would befall my son.” She told SaharaReporters that two groups had visited her, one being government officials. According to her, they were only interested in knowing whether she knew the assailants as Fulani herdsmen.
“The government people asked me whether I saw the assailants and knew that they were Fulani herdsmen. They didn’t even bring me food or anything to assist me. So, I told them how would I know the assailants. However, the chairman of the settlement saw the assailants and identified them as Fulani herdsmen. It was the same day they killed my son that his house was razed by the same assailants. His nursing wife saw them when they invaded his house wielding AK-47 rifles and forced them to flee.”
“Fulani herdsmen, since they started coming to drink water from the Ebe Onuku River, had not crossed the river and entered our village until now. This is the first time they have done so. They are not living here; they are living in Agala land in Benue State.”
“I will not see my son again, and this is the person who would have been providing for me. My son promised me that I would not continue to live in the settlement. Since his father was killed, God has been providing for us with the assistance of good-spirited individuals who have been helping us, and we have not died. There’s nothing that anyone can do to make me forget my son.”
“I want the government to build a house for me because I am now squatting in someone else’s house. I was doing menial jobs so that he could acquire an education. I didn’t go to school, and I said that since I didn’t go to school, my son should acquire a good education to have a better future. To assist me in his training, he learned skills – he was a photographer, and he learned how to repair lights (electrician). I didn’t know that he would be killed in this manner.”
“I had told him to go and marry so that I could nurse his children when I am still strong. He would tell me that if he were to go and marry now, who would support him. We don’t have any help, but God has been faithful. He followed Christ, and everything he touched, God blessed.”
“I am going to die of hunger because, as you can see, I am no longer a child. All these years, since his father died, I have been sustaining the family by working on people’s farms. Now, I feel that my son would have been assisting me, but he was killed. He had graduated and was waiting for national youth service. The assailants looted everything in my house. I am left with nothing; I don’t have clothes to wear. I need clothes, I need shelter to stay alive, and I need food,” narrated.
Oreku’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact of violence and insecurity on families and communities.
The attack on her son is just one of many incidents of violence perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen in the region.
The Enugu State government has been criticised for its handling of the crisis, with many accusing the authorities of failing to take decisive action against the perpetrators.
The government has promised to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice, but for Oreku, it may be too little, too late.
As she struggles to come to terms with her loss, Oreku is left to wonder what the future holds for her. Without her son, she is alone and vulnerable, forced to rely on the charity of others to survive.
The incident has also raised questions about the role of the government in protecting its citizens. Many are asking why the authorities failed to act sooner to prevent the attack, and why they have not done more to support victims like Oreku.
As the debate continues, Oreku is left to grieve for her son, and to wonder what might have been if he had not been taken from her so brutally. Her story is a powerful reminder of the human cost of violence and insecurity, and the need for urgent action to address the root causes of these problems.
In a recent visit to the community, government officials were met with anger and frustration from residents who feel that they have been abandoned by the authorities. The officials promised to provide support to victims like Oreku, but many are skeptical about whether this will materialize.
As the community continues to mourn the loss of Ndubuisi, there are fears that the incident could escalate tensions between different ethnic groups in the region. Many are calling for calm and restraint, but others are demanding justice for the victims and their families.
The incident has also highlighted the need for greater support for victims of violence and their families.
Many organisations are providing assistance, but more needs to be done to address the root causes of these problems and to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
