Blood, sorrow, tension in Ebonyi as army demands missing heads

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

The crisis between the people of Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area, and their neighbours, Oso Edda in Edda LGA of Ebonyi State took a more dangerous dimension last week when four persons, including an elderly woman, were beheaded and their heads taken away by suspected warlords. Oso Edda is a border community.

Houses and other valuables were burnt. A church in the village was also destroyed by the warlords. The two neighbours have been at war for decades over land, with many lives lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed.

Past and present administrations in the state have made efforts to end the crisis, to no avail. In 2003, a committee headed by a traditional ruler from Amasiri, Basil Enya, and Dr. Mike Okoro was set up by the state government to find a lasting solution to the crisis after the communities’ deadly clash similar to last week’s incident.

The committee presented its report to the state government but it was not implemented. The crisis remained unresolved, with more killings, maiming, destruction and abduction.

Last year, the crisis took a more dangerous dimension. Many people were killed with their heads cut off and taken away as trophies. Some were abducted and have not been seen till today

Governor Francis Nwifuru instructed that tracing and demarcation of the disputed land should  commence as a way of ending the crisis. As the process was ongoing, warlords struck in Okporojo last week.  At least five residents of the area were killed, with the heads of four of them taken away by their killers.

Nwifuru visited the place two days after the attack. It was a gory site with blood stains of those beheaded seen on the ground, including that of an old woman whose head was placed on a chunk of wood and cut off by the assailants.

Some buildings set ablaze by the assailants were still smouldering when Nwifuru visited. The governor was visibly sad after accessing the damage.

He gathered some of the survivours of the attack in the community’s meeting arena known as Ogo and made some pronouncements. He immediately ordered the dethronement of the two traditional rulers in Amasiri: Basil Onya Idam and Godffery Oko.

He also sacked a commissioner from the area, Prof. Amari Omaka, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is in charge of tertiary education. The governor  also dissolved the entire political and traditional leadership structure of the area and described the attack as “most unfortunate,” adding that he never expected such level of brutality to occur in the state.

Nwifuru assured the affected community that the state government would decisively deal with those responsible, stressing that the lives lost would not be in vain. He urged residents to remain calm and embrace peace, warning that retaliatory violence would only worsen the situation.

According to him, government’s actions would be firm but guided by the need to prevent further escalation of the crisis. He revealed that the conflict had lingered for years despite several reconciliation efforts, including boundary agreements between the affected communities. Lamenting that such agreements were not respected, the governor noted that his visit was a “strong signal” that the state would no longer tolerate lawlessness or disregard for the rule of law.

He said: “I am particularly very saddened. I repent with this kind of development. I’ve never in my whole life expected this kind of development. It’s quite unfortunate. But as a careful leader, you speak less when you are very angry. And at this very moment I will speak less. But I want to assure the people of Okporojo autonomous community that the matter will be handled.

“The government of Ebonyi State will definitely show to the perpetrators what made them government and you will  see it happen. I promise you. The lives lost will never be in vain, by the special grace of God. I am seeking for words to use at this moment so that I will not escalate the war. But I plead with all of you to maintain peace. At the end of the day, those that started the war will regret it. My visit here today will sign a very bold signature on your faces.

“By the end of work today, by the special grace of God, you shall see the outcome of it. And I promise you, as far as I’m your governor, this kind of attitude, this kind of rascality will never happen to you again, in Jesus’ name.

“If you see a quiet person, ordinarily don’t push him to the wall. I’ve been pushed to the wall at this moment. I’ve been pushed to the wall. I’ve been hammering on this. I’ve been discussing this with the two local government chairmen and the stakeholders. And on so many occasions they disagreed and agreed to the extent that tracing the boundaries had been agreed. And this matter did not start today. It has got to the point of no return at the moment

“I sent this message to the people of Amasiri. It’s a pity. Last time they said I’m siding with you; if you know me very well, I don’t side with anybody. I say the truth. I say it the way it is. I am not that kind person that believes, because you have somebody, because you know somebody, then I will not speak the truth. It is only the truth that can make you happy.

“It’s only the truth that can bring peace to your family and that is why I always say the truth the way I see it and ask God for forgiveness. If I ever wrong anybody.

“My message to the people of Amasiri is to have a rethink because violence will never lead them anywhere. I heard also that the Akpoha community blocked their road because the Amasiri people are coming to attack them. And I say, it has already gotten to the point of no return.

“So, Amasiri should be careful of their actions. We love them. We adore them. We believe that they have men that still have character. I still believe in God and still worship God.

“Take note, for the time being, the development union executive of all the villages in Amasiri communities are hereby dissolved. The traditional ruler’s certificate is thereby withdrawn; all the government appointees from Amasiri are hereby sacked.

“All the government appointees, from the management committee down to the commissioner, anyone from Amasiri, are hereby sacked. All the village heads in all Amasiri villages, in all the autonomous communities, are hereby removed. For the time being, we will do more and we will show everybody why we’re a government.”

In the evening of the Saturday, Nwifuru visited Oso Edda, an emergency security council meeting of the state was conveyed in  Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki, the state capital. All the security chiefs in the state were in attendance. The meeting lasted till 11pm

Nwifuru, who briefed journalists on the resolutions reached after the meeting, announced the closure of all the private and public schools in Amasiri community. Part of the resolutions reads: “The council advised the government of Ebonyi State to immediately dethrone all the traditional rulers in Amasiri clan or communities in Amasiri.

“The government also agreed on the advice of the council and dethroned the two traditional rulers. The letters of their dethronement will be issued to them tomorrow.

“The council also directed that all the development union executive and the village heads, women leaders, youth leaders, peer groups in all the communities or any other organization in all the communities and hamlets be dissolved immediately.

“Government agreed with the council’s directive and dissolved all the executives of the development union, the village heads, women leaders, women groups, youth leaders and youth groups, youth organization, women organization, peer group organization and any other organization in the Amasiri clan.

“The council also directed that the local government chairman of Afikpo LGA, Ivo LGA, Ohaozara LGA and Onicha LGA should take over the activities of government in Amasiri community, with immediate effect.

“The council also directed that security agencies should swing into action and immediately bring the culprits to book. The council also advised the government of Ebonyi State to send an executive bill to the House of Assembly for the repeal of the Local Government and Development Centre Law that created Amasiri Development Centre and remove Amasiri Development Centre from the development centre of Ebonyi State.

“The government of Ebonyi State agreed on the directive of the council and a bill for a law to repeal the Local Government and Development Centre Law of Ebonyi State 2015 has been prepared to be sent to the House of Assembly to delete Amasiri Development Centre from the development centres in Ebonyi State.

“The council also directed that all government amenities in Amasiri, including schools, both private and public, should as a matter of urgency close down and all teachers and tutors be posted to other schools and other communities other than Amasiri communities, with immediate effects.

“The government of Ebonyi State agreed with the directive of the council and have directed the commissioner for local government and commissioner for education to immediately implement the directive of the council.

“Accordingly, all government and private schools in Amasiri Development Centre and in Amasiri clan are hereby closed down and all teachers are to be posted to other schools in other communities.

“As from tomorrow morning (today, Monday February 16) there will be no school in Amasiri and there will be no development centre in Amasiri.  The council also directed the government to impose a curfew in Amasiri with immediate effect and all markets, shops, businesses, quarries, banks should shut down from 2pm to 10am every day.

“The government agreed with the directive of the council to impose a curfew in Amasiri from 2pm to 10am every day. The council also directed the law enforcement agencies to recover the heads of the victims of Okporojo crisis at all costs. The council also directed the law enforcement agencies to implement the council’s resolution with immediate effect.”

However, Nwifuru’s stringent measures over the war have been generating mixed reactions from Amasiri people and some parts of the state. The measures didn’t go down well with many indigenes of Amasiri, especially the commoners who have been condemning the decisions and accusing Nwifuru of favoritism in the crisis.

One of them, Harrison Nzubechi, alleged that some indigenes of the community have been killed or abducted before the attack on the Okporojo community without the governor taking the same decision he took on the Okporojo incident.

His words: “It all started exactly this time last year. Uke Ndukwe Ruling Council announced community work: clearing of Akanto Primary School, ahead of school resumption for 2024/2025 second term.

“As they were working in the school premises, lots of Edda militia invaded the school and made away with Mr. Christian Anya (Oyibo), Bugachi and five other men from Amasiri, leaving about four people  with serious injuries sustained from gunshots.

“The leadership of Uke Ndukwe Ruling Council rushed and made a formal police report. People like us kept begging the governor, his deputy, who is also an Afikpo daughter, to assist in securing the lives of the seven men that were abducted. The state governor assured  the people of Amasiri that nothing will happen to them but till today, they’re nowhere to be found.

“Throughout last year, Amasiri people were killed while working on their farmlands and plying Afikpo to Okigwe road. At a time, Ebonyi State government through the ministry of boarder and peace resolution promised to come to the land in dispute and make a lasting boundary. But till today, nothing has been done about it.

“Amasiri, as a community, remains the oil well of Ebonyi State because it houses about 28 quarry companies and Amasiri IGR alone is far bigger than some local government area’s IGR.

“The governor isn’t interested in finding a lasting solution between Amasiri and Edda. This time around, he isn’t interested in setting a committee to confirm what actually happened at Okporojo.

“In his normal biased judgment, he has suspended all government appointees from Amasiri and left Edda. The governor is just after securing his second term ticket and how to send hundreds of toll and tax collectors on daily basis to Amasiri quarry companies to pack millions of naira for him daily.”

But former chairman of Afikpo LGA, Obiageri Oko Enyum, who is from Amasiri, said the governor’s action was in order because of what he saw in Oso Edda. She said what should  preoccupy the minds of  Amasiri people should be how to make the anger of Nwifuru to come down and not worsening it through unguided utterances and actions against his decisions, which she said, can escalate tension in the area.

Enyum defended the deployment of soldiers to the community by the governor.  She said: “What should concern us now is not how to challenge that pronouncement, but how to respond wisely. This is a constituted authority. We do not have the powers to confront or rub shoulders with the government. Any action suggesting defiance will only work against us.

“The deployment of soldiers is clearly for the restoration of peace between the two warring communities, not against Amasiri alone. Therefore, our approach must be calm, lawful, and respectful.

“If we truly believe we have a strong case, then it must be presented through pleading, dialogue, and explanation not chaos. Justice is not achieved through disorder. What we should all be doing for those at home and those outside is appealing to the governor to temper justice with mercy and to allow room for proper understanding of the facts.

“Let it be clearly understood: the governor remains the governor of this state. No amount of protest, violence, or confusion will change that. Only wisdom, restraint, and maturity will speak in our favour.

“I therefore call on everyone fanning tension or causing chaos to desist immediately. This is not the path to victory. Peace, patience, and respectful engagement are the only ways forward. Let us not destroy our own chances by the way we pursue our cause.”

Meanwhile, the Army has ordered the perpetrators of the attack  to release the heads of the victims they took away after killing  them. Cantonment commander, Nkwagu Military Cantonment in the state, Lt Col. Ikenna Chielo, who gave the order while speaking with journalists on the situation of things in Amasiri, wondered why the killings occurred when effort was going on to resolve the land dispute between the communities.

“Amasiri crisis did not start today. It’s a long time crisis, even the past administration made efforts to resolve it.

“Committee was set up to resolve it, it involved a lot of people. I think the present traditional ruler  of Amasiri was the chairman of the committee at that  time and a report was made on the crisis.

“It was forwarded to the government. And when this government came and said, okay, let’s implement this, a lot of work has been done  by the present government to resolve the crisis. While these efforts were on, people were killed.

“One of the key issues is that we want the heads of those people. You can’t kill people. It’s not enough that you kill them.

“You now cut off their heads as if they are animals. What are you doing to the heads of your fellow human beings? And what is even more painful is that these are our brothers.

“These are people from the same ancestors. It’s really saddening. While I was growing up, I never imagined that something like this could happen in Nigeria,” he said

Lt. Col Chielo dismissed the rumour making the rounds that two military personnel deployed to the community were killed.

“What happened was that the first day of our deployment, probably they assumed that the strength of the soldiers there were very few. And they came and attacked us, actually and we responded. The only thing is that, because the area was a built-up area, they had to be cautious so that we don’t have casualties of shooting stray bullets and killing innocent people in their homes.

“If not, that night, a lot of things would have gone wrong. We just tried to be very professional. If we had used annoyance or emotion to act that night, it would have been bloody. We were  attacked, aside that, none of my soldiers have been killed in this operation.”

The police have revealed that it has  arrested two traditional rulers in Amasiri  as well the coordinator of Amasiri Development centre, Baron Anya, over the crisis. The arrested traditional rulers are Basil Onya Idam of Amasiri autonomous community and Godfrey Oko of Ndukwe kingdom.

The state police public relations officer,  Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the arrest of the monarchs and the coordinator to Daily Sun.

“Yes, we have the traditional rulers and the coordinator in our custody. Ten persons were arrested before now. The two traditional rulers and the coordinator are in our custody,” he said.

Asked if they the traditional rulers and the coordinator were arrested over arms stocking as being speculated, Ukandu said: “They are in our custody and we are investigating and I can’t say anything further on their arrest.”

He said the community is now calm following security measures. “The place is calm now and our men have been patrolling around the area to ensure that everywhere is calm. There is calm in that place now,” he stated.

The killings in Okporojo came two days after suspected warlords abducted five persons in Akpoha, an Amasiri  neighbouring community in Afikpo LGA. A policewoman was among those abducted.

Four of those abducted, including the policewoman were released few days after their abduction while the whereabouts of one of them remain unknown till today.

Amasiri and Akpoha have also been at war over land with many lives lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed.