The Amasiri Clan in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has called for the immediate withdrawal of military personnel from its communities, following alleged killings, arrests, and destruction of property linked to recent boundary-related violence.
The community is also demanding an independent and transparent investigation into the January 29, 2026 incident in Okporojọ village, Edda community, where several residents were reportedly killed under circumstances the group describes as unresolved and controversial.
In a joint statement circulated to both local and international media, the signatories—Princess Joy Omagha Idam, former Assistant Secretary of the NUJ FCT Council; Maduabichi Idam, a human rights lawyer; and Chioma Okpara, a journalist and activist—said the situation in Amasiri represents a growing humanitarian, constitutional, and security crisis in Ebonyi State.
The statement alleged that what began as an unverified accusation has escalated into what the community described as militarisation of civilian areas, collective punishment, and widespread violations of fundamental human rights.
According to the group, Amasiri—made up of three autonomous communities and recognised as the northernmost part of Afikpo LGA (formerly Afikpo North)—is a law-abiding farming population, not a conflict zone. They claimed residents have been subjected to mass arrests, forced displacement, and prolonged military operations involving continuous gunfire, which allegedly resulted in loss of lives.
The community leaders further alleged that:
- Two traditional leaders (Ezeogos) and the Coordinator of the Amasiri Development Centre have remained in detention for over one week.
- Schools, markets, churches, and economic activities in Amasiri were shut down following a state-imposed curfew.
- A teacher from Amasiri was allegedly denied registration for pupils for the 2026 Common Entrance Examination on the instruction of the state government.
- Students of Amasiri origin studying at Ebonyi State University were reportedly asked to identify themselves and present their National Identification Numbers (NIN) before being allowed into lecture halls.
- Civil servants and residents of Amasiri origin in Abakaliki were allegedly ordered to vacate the city or received verbal termination notices.
The statement also criticised a legislative action that reportedly removed Amasiri from the list of recognised development centres, placing it under a joint administrative structure involving four local government areas—an arrangement the group likened to institutional exclusion.
“The military should not be deployed as an instrument of political vendetta or ethnic repression,” the statement read. “The people of Amasiri are citizens entitled to life, dignity, security, justice, and equal protection under the law.”
The group called for the immediate restoration of schools, markets, places of worship, and other economic activities in Amasiri, alongside a reversal of what it described as collective sanctions imposed on the community. It also demanded equal justice without political bias and urged authorities to institute an independent investigation into the reported killings and subsequent military operations in the area.
It would be recalled that following the killing and beheading of four natives of Okporojọ village in Oso Edda on January 29, 2026, Governor Francis Nwifuru dissolved the community leadership, including traditional rulers, and imposed strict security measures aimed at restoring order.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has maintained that its operations in the area are targeted at restoring peace and has vowed to recover the remains of the victims, insisting that no soldier was killed during the operation.
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