When the news broke that 10 Ebonyians were murdered in cold blood in Ogboji, Anambra State, it hit like a recurring nightmare. We were shaken—but not surprised. Because sadly, this isn’t the first time. And unless something changes, it may not be the last.
The killing of our people outside Ebonyi has become a silent trend, a bloody footnote in Nigeria’s broken security story. We mourn, we bury, we demand justice—and then we move on. But not this time. We are holding the line.
This recent tragedy in Anambra is part of a pattern, and here are three painful reminders:
In April 2016, the Nimbo massacre in Enugu State claimed the lives of over 40 people. Among them were Ebonyians who had migrated there for farming. It was another premeditated assault blamed on suspected herdsmen, yet it quickly faded from the headlines, and no real justice was ever served.
In 2021, another group of Ebonyians—this time from Effium and Ezza—were targeted in the Agila area of Benue State, victims of a long-simmering boundary dispute. What began as a quarrel over land ended in bloodshed and broken homes.
In March 2021, 25 Ebonyians were massacred in Egedegede, Obegu, and Amuzu communities in Ishielu Local Government Area. They were attacked by suspected herdsmen while they slept, and even after mass burials, justice never arrived.
And now in June 2025, we are grieving again. Ten of our own were murdered in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, reportedly while returning from a burial. It was deliberate. It was brutal. And it cannot be forgotten.
To their credit, both Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State and Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State have made public statements condemning the killings. But we’ve heard condemnations before. What we haven’t seen—consistently—is action. Not just action for the sake of headlines, but action that leads to actual justice.
This is not just a call for calm. It is a call for accountability. The federal and state governments must initiate an independent investigation into the Ogboji killings and make the findings public. There must be arrests and prosecutions, not promises and press statements. There must be serious investment in joint security operations across Ebonyi’s borders with neighboring states. The families of victims must be compensated—not only with money, but with truth, clarity, and support. And there must be a deliberate effort to foster peace through sustained dialogue, not just emergency press briefings after tragedy has struck.
We cannot afford to keep quiet while Ebonyians—hardworking, peaceful citizens—are being murdered across state lines. We cannot afford to normalize death, nor fold our arms while nothing changes.
Let it be clear: this is not hate speech. This is truth. We are not stoking tribalism. We are confronting a national failure of security and justice. We are demanding that government at all levels stop treating human lives like dispensable digits in a tragic routine.
Our people deserve to live. Our people deserve to return home safely from burials and markets. Our people deserve justice.
This is not Aluta Continua. This is Justice Continua.
And to those who still don’t see the urgency—when the ground is stained with blood more than seed, it is no longer fertile. And when the people go silent in the face of injustice, they lose more than land. They lose their voice.
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