Four Beheaded in Fresh Ebonyi Communal Clash

By Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki

Residents of Okporojo community in Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State were on Thursday thrown into deep mourning following a brutal attack that claimed the lives of four youths, who were reportedly beheaded, while several others were abducted.

Investigations by Insideoutnews revealed that the assailants, suspected to be warlords from neighbouring Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area, stormed Okporojo at about 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, armed with guns, cutlasses, and other dangerous weapons.
The attackers allegedly ambushed the community, setting houses ablaze and causing residents to flee in different directions to save their lives. Several houses were completely razed during the assault.
Sources disclosed that since the resurgence of hostilities between the two communities last year, no fewer than five severed heads are reportedly in the custody of the Amasiri attackers, raising concerns over the escalating brutality of the conflict.
Thursday’s incident occurred barely five months after a middle-aged man, identified as Dike Nnachi, was murdered and beheaded in a similar attack, further heightening tension in the area.
The renewed violence is believed to be linked to a protracted land dispute between the two communities, with both laying claim to a contested portion of land.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bodies of the four victims were discovered without their heads in Okporojo community, adding that many residents were still unaccounted for as of Friday morning.
A disturbing video circulating on social media showed houses engulfed in flames, as well as the lifeless, headless bodies of the slain youths, sparking outrage and fear among residents of neighbouring communities.
Confirming the incident on Friday, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Internal Security, Chief Etta Ude, said security operatives had been deployed to the affected area to forestall further violence.
“It is a fact. At about 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, I was informed that hoodlums invaded one of the villages in Oso Edda and killed about four persons,”
“I immediately contacted the chairmen of the two local government councils and alerted the Army battalion, the police, and other security agencies. They all moved into the area promptly, and as of now, the situation is calm.”Ude said.
The commissioner assured that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
“What we have resolved with the Commissioner of Police is that there must be massive arrests to uncover the root cause of this crisis. Anyone found to be involved will be arrested and made to face the law,” he added.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ebonyi State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
It would be recalled that last year, the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, created a buffer zone in the disputed area and warned residents of both communities against farming or carrying out any form of activity within the zone.
Meanwhile, the latest attack has disrupted vehicular movement along the Edda axis, particularly affecting motorists who use the route as a shortcut to Isuikwuato, Bende, Item, Umuahia, and other parts of Abia State and beyond.