Ebonyi curfew measures were announced as Governor Nwifuru dissolved Amasiri leadership, shut schools and imposed strict controls to halt renewed communal violence.
The Ebonyi State Government has announced sweeping security and administrative actions in response to renewed violence linked to a long-standing communal dispute, declaring a strict Ebonyi curfew and shutting down public life in Amasiri community, Afikpo Local Government Area.
Governor Francis Nwifuru made the announcement after an emergency meeting of the Ebonyi State Security Council held late Saturday night in Abakaliki.
The meeting followed a deadly attack in Okporojo village, Oso Edda, where at least four people were killed during clashes reportedly connected to a decades-old boundary disagreement between Okporojo and neighbouring Amasiri communities.
According to state authorities, the conflict has lingered for generations, repeatedly erupting despite several peace initiatives and interventions by past administrations. Saturday’s violence, officials said, represented a dangerous escalation that required immediate and decisive government action.
Earlier in the day, Governor Nwifuru visited the affected area to assess the situation and sympathise with residents who had been displaced or affected by the unrest.
During the visit, he directed security agencies to commence full investigations and ensure that those responsible for the killings are arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Briefing journalists after the Security Council meeting, the governor outlined a series of measures aimed at restoring calm, preventing reprisal attacks, and reasserting government authority in the troubled community.
Central to the decisions was the declaration of a daily Ebonyi curfew in Amasiri community, which will run from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. each day.
Under the curfew, all commercial and social activities are suspended during restricted hours.
Markets, shops, banks, quarries, and other business operations are to remain closed, while security agencies have been mandated to enforce compliance strictly.
In a move described as unprecedented, the governor also approved the immediate removal of two traditional rulers in the Amasiri clan.
He disclosed that the dethronement followed recommendations from the Security Council, citing leadership failures and the need to reset traditional authority structures in the interest of peace.
Beyond traditional institutions, the state government dissolved all community-based leadership bodies in Amasiri.
These include development union executives, village heads, youth and women leaders, peer groups, and all other formal or informal associations operating within the clan.
Governor Nwifuru explained that the decision was taken to dismantle structures capable of mobilising unrest and to prevent the misuse of community organisations to fuel further violence.
He emphasised that the dissolution was temporary and would be reviewed once peace and stability are fully restored.
To manage governance during the period of emergency, the Security Council directed that the chairmen of Afikpo, Ivo, Ohaozara, and Onicha Local Government Areas jointly oversee administrative and government activities in Amasiri.
This interim arrangement, officials said, is intended to ensure continuity of essential services while local leadership structures remain suspended.
Another major outcome of the meeting was the shutdown of all government amenities in the community, including the Amasiri Development Centre.
The governor revealed that the state executive had approved the preparation of a bill seeking to repeal aspects of the 2015 law that created the development centre.
According to him, the proposed legislation will be forwarded to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to formally remove Amasiri Development Centre from the state’s recognised development centres, as part of broader efforts to de-escalate tensions linked to administrative control and resource distribution.
Education was also affected by the emergency measures. Governor Nwifuru ordered the immediate closure of all schools in Amasiri, both public and private.
Teachers and academic staff serving in the area are to be redeployed to other communities with immediate effect.
The Commissioners for Education and Local Government were instructed to ensure swift implementation, with the governor declaring that academic activities in the area would remain suspended until further notice.
He stated clearly that, for now, there would be no functioning schools or development centre in Amasiri.
Security agencies were also given firm directives to intensify operations in and around the affected areas.
The governor said they must arrest all individuals involved in the killings and make every effort to recover the severed heads of the victims, describing the act as barbaric and unacceptable.
While acknowledging that the measures were severe, Governor Nwifuru defended them as necessary steps to restore order and reassure residents across the state.
He stressed that the Ebonyi curfew and related decisions reflect the government’s resolve to protect lives and uphold the rule of law.
He warned that the Ebonyi State Government would not tolerate violence, lawlessness, or communal killings under any guise, adding that all resolutions reached by the Security Council take immediate effect.
Ireport247news
