Amasiri community appeals to Gov Nwifuru to lift siege

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

Leaders of thought in Amasiri community have appealed to the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, to lift the siege on the Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area.

The governor wielded the big stick following recent killings and mayhem at Okporojo in Oso Edda community.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, the leaders said the stiff sanction by the state government has made it almost impossible for members of the community to eke out a living. While condemning the killings, they challenged the law enforcement agencies to fish out the culprits.

The sanctions include sack of all government appointees, including commissioners, local government chairmen and board members from Amasiri, dethronement of the two traditional rulers of Amasiri clan and dissolution of all groups and unions in Amasiri, imposition of a 20-hour curfew, shutdown of schools and the directive by the Governor for the chairmen of Ivo, Onicha and Ohaozarato to take over the administration of Amasiri.

Plans are also on to initiate the process of removing Amasiri as one of the 64 development centres in the state.

Dr. Joy Omagha, an indigene and newspaper publisher, urged the governor to take the right course of action by empaneling an independent and impartial investigation into the killings, arrest, prosecute and punish the actual perpetrators, no matter their community. She equally called on the governor to immediately review and reverse the blanket sanctions imposed on innocent people.

Also speaking, Idam-Ngwoke Emmanuel, South East coordinator, Human Rights Guide Association, Nigeria, further lamented over the deployment of soldiers to their community, stressing that such action has led to arbitrary shooting and arrest of innocent people.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately call for the withdrawal of the soldiers.

A public interest and human rights advocate from the community, M.O. Idam, said the governor might have been misinformed before taking what he described as ‘hasty actions.’

He said the people of Amasiri community harboured no grudges against the Osu dwellers and it was even the community (Amasiri) that championed the December 2025 peace accord against the wishes of their conflicting neighbours, pending the state government’s final resolution of the conflict.

While criticising the governor’s conflict management’s approach to the crisis, the lawyer said the people of Amasiri community are presently unable to pursue their livelihood and now live in fear.

He appealed to the National Security Adviser and Chief of Defence Staff to prevail on the governor to refrain from deploying soldiers against the defenceless Amasiri community.

He called for the release of innocent indigenes unlawfully arrested in their homes or business places and appealed to the state governor to reverse his actions on the dismissal of state government’s appointees of Amasiri extraction and to promptly reinstate their traditional rulers.