How land/boundary dispute tears Ebonyi communities apart

2026-02-11 - 00:28

...Brothers killing brothers ...Thousands rendered homeless ....Property worth millions destroyed ...Nwifuru wields sledge hammer, vows to end land wars By Jeff Agbodo Since its creation in 1996, Ebonyi State has witnessed several land/boundary crises, spread across the various villages and communities of the state. These land disputes have claimed many lives and property worth billions of naira destroyed in the process. And most of the lands in dispute were farmlands in agrarian rural communities. Ironically, most of the land disputes had been in existence for between 20 and 60 years without an end in sight due to various vested interests. Communities that had at one time or another been involved in violent land disputes over the years include Abaomege-Ishinkwo land crisis, Inyamagu-Ekpomaka, Amasiri-Amangwu Edda, Amasiri-Akpoha-Ibii-Ehugbo land disputes, Ishiagu-Akaeze, among others. The recent land crisis was between OkporojÍ in Oso Edda and a village in Amasiri Afikpo. It was indeed a very bloody day in OkporojÍ Village in Oso Edda in Edda Local Government Area on January 29, 2026, on account of a deadly attack by suspected warlords alleged to be from Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area. The suspected warriors unleashed unprecedented attacks on Okporojo community, killing and maiming several persons. Four people, including a seven-year-old child, were brutally beheaded and their severed heads taken away. This evil act drew outrage. Governor Francis Nwifuru, who visited the scene of the killings and destruction, literally wept and condemned the gruesome murder of innocent citizens just because of a land dispute, and vowed to take decisive measures to protect the victims and end the menace. He said that his administration was working very hard to end land wars in the state through the peaceful engagement of community leaders and stakeholders and demarcation of boundaries to ensure peaceful coexistence among communities. Disturbed by the level of atrocities, killings and destruction at OkporojÍ, the governor immediately summoned an emergency meeting of the State Security Council involving all the security operatives in the state, where drastic decisions and measures were taken to serve as a deterrent to others. He directed security agencies to recover the heads and arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crime. The governor also imposed a curfew in Amasiri community from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m. and directed all government amenities in Amasiri, including schools, both private and public, as a matter of urgency, to be closed down and all teachers and tutors to be posted to other schools and other communities outside Amasiri community. To further show how disturbed he was with the ugly incident, the governor dethroned all the traditional rulers in Amasiri clan. Addressing the people on the outcome of the meeting, Governor Nwifuru said: “The government also agreed on the advice of the council and dethroned the two traditional rulers. The letters of their dethronement have been issued to them. “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 organisation in all the communities and hamlets involved in the crisis 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 organisations, women organisations, peer group organisations, and any other organisation in Amasiri clan. “The council also directed that the chairmen of Afikpo Local Government, Ivo Local Government and those of Ohaozara and Onicha local governments, should take over the activities of government in Amasiri community with immediate effect. “The government sent 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 removed Amasiri development centre from the development centres of Ebonyi State, which the Assembly has done. “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 effect. “The government of Ebonyi State agreed with the directive of the council and has directed the Commissioner for Local Government and the Commissioner for Education to immediately implement the directive of the council. “The council also directed the government to impose a curfew in Amasiri with immediate effect and all markets, shops, businesses, quarries, and banks should shut down from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m. every day. “The council also directed the law enforcement agencies to recover the severed heads of the victims of the Okporojo crisis at all costs. The council also directed the law enforcement agencies to implement the council’s resolution with immediate effect”, he stated. However, the Nzuko Edda General Assembly, an umbrella body of Edda in Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, claimed that the community has lost over 75 persons in the past three years in the crisis between the people of Amasiri and Oso Edda. The Assembly, in an emergency meeting, called on the state government and security agencies to swiftly apprehend and prosecute those behind the killings. In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the traditional ruler of Ebunwana Edda, Charles Azuenya, lamented the persistent attacks on villages in Idima autonomous community, including Okporojo, Akanto, Ozara-Oko-Ugwu, Nde-Oko and Amaiyima, by suspected warlords. He alleged that over 75 indigenes of Edda communities have been killed in the past three years, with dozens of homes burnt and entire villages displaced. “Our people can no longer remain silent while lives, homes, and dignity are being systematically destroyed. The situation has reached a critical point. The monarch acknowledged Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s efforts in promoting peace but accused the Amasiri community of disregarding government directives. The Assembly appealed to the state government to deploy security personnel, rebuild destroyed communities, resettle displaced residents and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. “The recent invasion of Okporojo village on 29th January, 2026, resulting in further killings, abductions, and the complete destruction of Okporojo village, is a clear and further escalation of hostilities that cannot go unanswered. “Their defiance not only undermines the authority of government but also places the safety and security of Edda Clan, especially Edda villages in Idima autonomous community, in jeopardy,” Azuenya lamented. Also, the Traditional institutions in Amasiri, Afikpo LGA, have strongly condemned the recent killings in Okporojo village, Oso-Edda, describing the incident as barbaric and deeply regrettable. The coalition of Amasiri traditional bodies, including the Ichie Amasiri (council of elders), Essa Ruling Council, Ekpu Uketo, and Uke Amasiri, custodians of the clan’s cultural heritage. In a joint communiqué titled: Urgent Appeal to His Excellency, Chief Francis Nwifuru, the Governor of Ebonyi State: Expedite Action on Amasiri/Oso Boundary Delineation, the institutions stressed that Amasiri and Edda people are brothers bound by a common lineage, noting that any bloodshed between them is considered an abomination. The communiqué was signed by eight chairmen of the various traditional institutions, including Ichie Hyacinth Idam Mbe, Mr Roland Ntachi, and Apostle Ekuma Emmanuel Ndubuisi, among others. While condoling with families who lost loved ones and property during the crisis, the group pledged full cooperation with the Ebonyi State Government to ensure the perpetrators are identified and punished. They appealed to the state government to urgently implement the 2003 gazette boundary delineation report between Amasiri and Oso-Edda communities, describing it as the most sustainable solution to recurring clashes and mutual mistrust. According to the traditional institutions, both communities had earlier agreed to the 2003 report, a position reaffirmed during subsequent engagements, including another effort in 2023. They expressed concern over delays in implementation, warning that the situation continues to fuel tension, especially with the farming season approaching. The group further lamented what it described as coordinated encroachment into Amasiri lands by neighbouring communities, stressing that such actions unfairly portray the peace-loving clan in a bad light. Despite alleged provocations, including killings, abductions and destruction of property, the institutions maintained that Amasiri has remained law-abiding and committed to peaceful resolution, noting that the community has never resorted to blocking roads or reprisals. A victim of the incident, Mr Nnachi Ugwu, said that the warlords killed his first son, cut off his head and took the head to Amasiri and burnt his house without removing a pin. He said that in 2023, the same people came and burnt his house before he rebuilt it, and they came again and burnt it in the recent attack. The youth leader of Oso Edda community, Mr. Jeremiah Chima, said that the warboys came with sophisticated guns, including AK-47 and wore military camouflage. He called on government and security agents to investigate some political office holders, community leaders and other appointees from Amasiri over the alleged supply of weapons to the boys. The Cantonment commander of the Nigerian Army, Nkwagu Ebonyi State , Lt. Col. Emmanuel Chielo, said the Army will do everything possible to recover all the heads severed and taken away by the warlord in Okporojo village. The Ebonyi State Police command said it has arrested 10 people in connection with the heinous crime and later arrested Mr Anya Baron-Ogbonnia, Coordinator of Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo. Also arrested are two traditional rulers in Amasiri community: Onyaidam Bassey and Godfrey Oko-Obia. The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Joshua Ukandu, said their arrest followed a joint operation involving the Army, the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Meanwhile, security operatives were said to have discovered in Amasiri, shallow graves and mutilated bodies of those believed to have killed during the crisis.