Gunmen Attack DIG Frank Mbah’s Enugu Home, Kill Police Officer on Duty

Enugu, Nigeria (September 22, 2025)

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked the country residence of Deputy Inspector General of Police Frank Mbah in Ezimo Community, Udenu Local Government Area, Enugu State, on Thursday evening around 7 p.m.

The Fulani attackers reportedly tried to gain access to the house but were resisted by the security guard. When the security guard raised the alarm, the assailants shot and killed him, took his rifle, and disappeared into the bush.

Community sources told Sahara Reporters the attackers were fully armed and that the gunmen had been terrorizing villagers close to DIG Mbah’s house; residents suspect the Fulani herdsmen may have intended to abduct the DIG’s mother, noting that attackers have previously struck within 500 metres of the residence on at least two occasions, kidnapping their victims.

Villagers linked the attack to a broader network of marauders strongly believed to be Fulani, pointing to the killing of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Mathew Eya, the following evening in nearby Eha-Ndiagu, Nsukka Local Government Area.

Sources described “constant kidnapping activities” around Ezimo and Eha-Ndiagu and said locals, including sand and gravel miners, “see those guys regularly,” but that “we have a weak security system”.

The Enugu State Police Command has disputed the narrative that DIG Mbah’s home was the target. In an official statement, police said operatives responded to a distress call in the Ezimo area on Thursday September 18 and repelled an armed robbery attack.

The command reported that during the exchange a police officer sustained gunshot injuries and later died in hospital. The police spokesman said one suspect has been arrested and is assisting investigations, and that a manhunt is ongoing for other fleeing suspects. The police statement framed the incident as a robbery the force repelled rather than a direct attack on DIG Mbah’s residence or an attempted kidnapping of his relatives.

Several local outlets and social posts echoed Sahara Reporters’ timeline and details that evening confirming that “the police in their way, after the attack, they saw someone who had gotten himself drunk passing, and they arrested him, saying that he might be among the assailants. But we know the man, he is not one of the attackers, but they (policemen) must show that they are working,”

Tensions remain high in Ezimo and surrounding communities as residents fear more attacks.