Urge Communities to go about their Lawful Businesses
The alarming reports circulating in Mbaise and across the state concerning the alleged presence of suspected Fulani herdsmen in the area have been described as fake and unfounded.
Tension in the Mbaise community had, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, risen to a very high point after news circulated on social media platforms of the presence of people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen at Chokoneze, in the Ezinihtte-Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.
The scary news triggered palpable fear and concerns in the enclave and across Imo State.
Parents of school pupils and students had to rush to their schools to retrieve their children and wards from their schools, while school owners took necessary measures to protect their learners and property.
Crew members of The Guide went to Ezinihitte to find out the veracity, or otherwise, of the news.
At the Council Headquarters, in the absence of the chairman, we sought the audience of the Chief Security Officer, who informed us that he received a report of unidentified persons seen in the bushes at Chokoneze, which is within his operational area; he had to mobilize all his men in the various units, including Umueze, Lorji, Umunama, etc. The vigilante personnel, under the command of the Home Security, gallantly combed the whole surrounding forest but did not find any suspected herdsmen or bandits.
We proceeded to Chokoneze, the source of the news. The Chief Security Officer at Chokoneze corroborated the report of the CSO at the council headquarters. He stated, “When we received the information, we alerted our other units in accordance with our operational guidelines. All operatives and the whole communities came out in their numbers to comb the surrounding bushes and hideouts; that Sunday night was very hectic, as we worked all night tirelessly, but we did not encounter any suspects.” When asked about their preparedness for such an eventuality, he said, “We assure all that we are gallant and prepared at any time that we are called to protect the lives and property of our communities. Our communication system is efficient and effective to help us respond to calls as quickly as possible.’’
He concluded that, ‘’since we did not find any suspected herdsman, the news being peddled around the social media is a misrepresentation of the situation and false.
We were unable to speak with the traditional ruler, HRH Eze Sir Alex Mike Nwamara, Eze Ukwu II of Umueze Autonomous Community, Chokoneze, who was unavoidably absent due to a funeral engagement within the community.
Earlier on in the process of our investigations, we stopped at the Aboh Police Station, where we were informed that Aboh was calm and that there had not been any report of herders’ presence in any part of Mbaise.
They urged members of the public to go about their lawful businesses while being on alert and report any security concerns to the police or any other security organizations.
