By Deborah Nnamdi
A joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has uncovered shallow graves containing mutilated bodies in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, following a deadly attack on Okporojo community in Oso-Edda, Edda Local Government Area.
The discovery came after the gruesome killing and beheading of four persons in Okporojo village, which prompted the deployment of troops and other security operatives to the area to prevent further violence and apprehend those responsible.
In a statement, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan-Ayeni, said the scale and brutality of the crimes necessitated urgent security intervention to restore peace, protect innocent lives, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He said the Ebonyi State Government, in the exercise of its constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and property, imposed a curfew and temporarily shut down schools in Amasiri as part of measures to contain the situation and ensure public safety.
According to him, security agencies have been deployed to enforce the curfew, carry out uninterrupted investigations and security operations, protect medical personnel, and address the humanitarian implications of the crisis. He added that joint teams are conducting intelligence-driven patrols, cordon-and-search operations, and forensic exhumations in affected communities.
“Credible intelligence has revealed multiple burial sites containing both adults and children, underscoring the scale of the crimes and the urgent need for a sustained and robust security presence to dismantle criminal networks and prevent further violence,” Olalekan-Ayeni said.
The Army stressed that the deployment is not targeted at residents of Amasiri but at criminal elements exploiting communal tensions to carry out heinous acts. It noted that the operation is intelligence-led, professional, and is being conducted in collaboration with local leaders to ensure transparency and accountability.
The Nigerian Army, alongside other security agencies, reaffirmed its commitment to protecting all citizens without bias and said the intervention would continue until peace is fully restored, those responsible are arrested and justice is served.
It also urged members of the public to disregard misinformation and support ongoing efforts to secure Afikpo and surrounding communities, clarifying that the operation is not an invasion as portrayed in some videos circulating on social media but a lawful security intervention aimed at restoring order.
