What started as a criminal allegation in a nearby community has turned into a large security operation that the Amasiri Clan in Ebonyi State says is unfair punishment and political suppression.
The situation has attracted attention across Nigeria and beyond, raising concerns about human rights, the role of the military in civilian areas, and abuse of government power.
At a world press conference on 5 February 2026, leaders of the Amasiri Clan accused the Ebonyi State Government, led by Governor Francis Nwifuru, of launching a major military operation based on an unproven accusation.
They said the action has led to deaths, many arrests, displacement of residents, and a shutdown of daily life.
Amasiri consists of three autonomous communities and is the northernmost part of Afikpo Local Government Area. The people are mainly farmers and say their area has never been known as a conflict zone.
However, residents report heavy military presence, night-time gunfire, house-to-house searches, and the arrest of unarmed men and youths.
Community leaders also say the government imposed harsh administrative measures. Schools, markets, and churches were closed, and farming was stopped. This has cut off people’s main sources of food and income.
The impact, they say, goes beyond Amasiri. Indigenes living in Abakaliki were allegedly asked to leave the city.
Civil servants from Amasiri reportedly received verbal termination notices. Students in higher institutions were told to identify themselves by ethnic origin, which critics describe as ethnic profiling.
The clan further alleged that the state government removed Amasiri from the list of development centres, detached it from Afikpo Local Government Area, and placed it under a joint administration with four other LGAs. They say this decision is unusual and legally questionable.
The state government says its actions are linked to an allegation that people from Amasiri killed someone in Oso, a neighbouring community in Edda LGA.
While the Amasiri Clan condemned the killing and expressed sympathy to the victim’s family, it rejected what it called collective punishment without investigation.
According to the clan, no proper investigation was carried out, no suspects were named, and the community was not given a chance to defend itself before the military action and other sanctions were imposed.
The crisis is also connected to a long-standing boundary dispute between Amasiri and Oso.
The dispute was officially settled in 2003 through a government White Paper, and both communities again agreed in 2023 to respect the settlement. A peace agreement was signed in December 2025.
Amasiri leaders say attempts to mark the boundary have been delayed by government ministries under Governor Nwifuru’s administration.
Even when the community offered to pay for the exercise in early 2026, nothing happened.
Tension increased on 30 January 2026 when soldiers carried out mass arrests despite peace efforts.
On the same day, Governor Nwifuru dissolved all political and traditional leadership structures in Amasiri, including traditional rulers, town union leaders, village heads, and government appointees.
The clan also accused the government of ignoring crimes against Amasiri people. They said armed groups had blocked the Afikpo–Okigwe highway for months, kidnapping and killing travellers suspected to be from Amasiri, without any arrests.
The situation worsened after reports that Governor Nwifuru publicly referred to Amasiri people as “barbarians.” Community leaders described the comment as insulting and capable of deepening hostility.
At the centre of the land dispute is an area called Okporo-Ụjo, which Amasiri claims as ancestral land.
According to their history, Oso settlers originally came as hunters and tenants and were allowed to stay on the outskirts of Amasiri territory, a relationship they say later turned into ownership claims.
As of now, traditional rulers are still being held without trial, schools remain closed, and economic activities have not resumed.
The Amasiri Clan is calling on Governor Francis Nwifuru and the federal government to withdraw the military, set up an independent investigation, release detained leaders, and restore normal civil life. They insist that only justice and dialogue—not force—can bring lasting peace.