Following the attack on Okporojo in Oso-Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, a joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, Department of State Security, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps has discovered shallow graves containing mutilated bodies in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area.
The troops were deployed in direct response to the gruesome killings and beheadings of four individuals in Okporojo village.
In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan-Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, said the atrocities demanded urgent intervention to restore peace, protect innocent lives, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He added that the Ebonyi State Government, in line with its constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and property, imposed a curfew and temporarily closed schools in Amasiri to prevent escalation and ensure public safety.
According to Olalekan-Ayeni, the security agencies have been deployed to enforce the curfew, conduct uninterrupted investigations and security operations, protect medical teams, and manage the humanitarian implications of the crisis.
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He said the joint teams have been carrying out intelligence-driven patrols, cordon-and-search operations, and forensic exhumations in the affected areas.
“Credible intelligence has revealed multiple burial sites containing both adults and children, highlighting the scale of the crimes and the need for a robust security presence to dismantle criminal networks and prevent further violence,” he added.
The Army stressed that the deployment of troops is not targeted at the people of Amasiri but at criminal elements exploiting communal tensions to commit heinous acts.
It noted that the operation is intelligence-led, professional, and conducted in partnership with local leadership to ensure transparency and accountability.
The Nigerian Army also assured that it remains committed, alongside sister agencies, to protecting all citizens without bias. It stated that the intervention will continue until peace is fully restored, perpetrators are apprehended, and justice is served.
The Army urged the public to disregard misinformation and support ongoing efforts to secure Afikpo and neighboring communities.
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