By Abakaliki’s Jeff Agbodo
The Nigerian Army has promised to retrieve every head that was severed in Okporojo village in Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State by alleged warlords from Amasiri in the state’s Afikpo Local Government Area.
Rumors that warlords in the Amasiri community killed soldiers during the attacks were also denied by the Army.
On January 29, 2026, a group of alleged warlords stormed Okporojọ village in Oso Edda, burned numerous homes, and killed and decapitated four people.
In a press briefing, Lt. Col. Emmanuel Chielo, the cantonment commander of the Nigerian Army in Nkwagu Ebonyi State, said that measures are underway to guarantee the restoration of peace and order in the conflict area of Okporojo village and Amasiri.
However, Chilio’s advertisements criticized the growing problems of youth drug misuse and the flow of small guns in the southeast.
“Insecurity always has a lot of underlying factors. The main one that is extremely concerning is the problem of conflicts between communities. Conflicts between communities over chieftaincy titles, ancestral lands, etc.
Once more, a great deal of work has been done on some of these security concerns, even in the past. And for that reason, Ebonyi State is experiencing a high degree of tranquility. Ebonyi State is probably the most tranquil state in the Southeast right now.
And it’s true. Ebonyi State is the most tranquil state in the Southeast, barring a few of the problems I listed. And the reason for this is that it wasn’t an accident.
We want those individuals’ heads decapitated, and that is one of the main concerns. People cannot be killed. Killing them is insufficient. As if they were animals, you now chop off their heads.
“What are you doing to other people’s heads? The fact that these are our brothers makes the situation even more agonizing. It’s not like it’s Yoruba or someone from Niger or Mali.
These individuals share the same ancestors. It’s quite depressing. “I never thought that something like this could happen in Nigeria when I was growing up,” Chielo said.
The commander stated: “None of my men were killed,” in reference to the reported murder of two soldiers in Amasiri. The police, DSS, and civil defense are all involved in the Amasiri operation. That is a collaborative endeavor. In reality, they most likely believed that there were not many soldiers present on the first day of our deployment.
In fact, they attacked us. And we answered. The only issue is that because the area was populated, they had to exercise caution to avoid shooting innocent individuals in their homes.
“Many things would have gone wrong if not that night. We merely made an effort to act professionally. It would have been violent if we had acted that evening out of irritation or emotion.
“We had a legitimate attack. Therefore, except from that, none of my guys have lost their lives throughout this operation,” he emphasized.
However, Chielo supported Governor Francis Nwifuru’s efforts to bring peace and order back to the Amasiri community and Okporojo village.
“I’ve heard that some individuals are discussing or criticizing the governor for his handling of the situation. You won’t claim that the governor is overly forgiving, even if you visit that location. If you see an elderly woman using a walking stick there, you should decapitate her.
How has she affected you? Fighting to live, fighting to survive. Are you going to hold these individuals accountable if they organize and declare their intention to launch a retaliatory attack? And we are attempting to avoid that. He stated, “It’s not like they can’t do that.”
Additionally, Chielo denounced the growing drug trafficking and small arms trafficking in the southeast.
Apart from the problem of intercommunal conflict, another significant security risk that we are addressing is the fact that every state is progressively turning into a transit for the flow of small guns. It’s an issue.
“It’s a problem, even though you might not perceive it right now. People with keke appear to be heading to the farm. They are going to deliver something to someone with their guns.
In addition, there is the problem of narcotics. Additionally, each of these elements contributes. However, there is much more that can be done. He cautioned that we shouldn’t depend solely on the government.
