Security agencies in Ebonyi State have arrested the Coordinator of the Amasiri Development Centre and two traditional rulers as part of ongoing investigations into the brutal killing of four villagers in Edda Local Government Area.
The Department of State Services (DSS) assisted the Ebonyi State Police Command in tracking and apprehending Mr. Anya Baron-Ogbonnia, Coordinator of the Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo, along with traditional rulers Onyaidam Bassey and Godfrey Oko-Obia, police spokesperson Superintendent Joshua Ukandu confirmed on Monday in Abakaliki.
The arrests follow a joint operation involving the DSS, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the police. Earlier, 10 suspects were taken into custody in connection with the January 29 attack that shocked the state.
Police say security forces are pursuing additional leads and will continue investigations until all those involved are brought to justice. “Those arrested are all in our custody and investigations on the killings are still ongoing,” Mr. Ukandu said.
Authorities have linked the violence to a protracted land dispute between communities in Ebonyi’s Edda and Afikpo regions. Residents of Okporojor village in Oso Edda community have long contested farm and boundary land with neighbours from the Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area.
On January 29, suspected assailants reportedly attacked Okporojor village, beheading four villagers, burning homes, and destroying property — acts described by officials as “barbaric” and “totally unacceptable.”
The killings come amid a flare-up of inter-communal tensions that have simmered for years despite periodic peace efforts and government interventions, including past negotiations and local meetings aimed at resolving boundary issues.
In response to the crisis, Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has taken stern administrative actions against the Amasiri community, dissolving community leadership structures and sacking political appointees from the area.
Emergency security measures — including closure of schools, businesses, and imposition of a curfew — have been ordered in parts of the Afikpo area as authorities seek to prevent further clashes.
Governor Nwifuru has also directed the reconfiguration of local governance in affected zones and is pursuing legislative changes to adjust administrative arrangements tied to the disputed territory.
As investigations deepen and security forces tighten their presence, community leaders on both sides have called for lasting solutions. Traditional rulers from Amasiri have appealed for expedited boundary delineation to stem recurring conflict, even as families mourn the recent victims.
The crisis highlights challenges in managing communal land disputes in the southeast, where historical grievances over boundaries and farm rights occasionally metastasize into violence despite government and civil society efforts.
