Land Crisis: Ebonyi Gov Sacks Aides, Commissioners, Dethrones Monarchs

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has sacked all political appointees from Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area and withdrawn the recognition of its traditional rulers over alleged complicity in a deadly land dispute.

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Naija News reports that the decision followed a violent clash between Amasiri community and neighbouring Okporojo village in Oso community of Edda Local Government Area, which reportedly left four persons dead and several properties destroyed.

Speaking during a visit to Okporojo community on Saturday, Nwifuru accused the Amasiri community of failing to demonstrate genuine commitment to lasting peace, prompting the government to take drastic measures.

“All government appointees from Amasiri, from local government development centre management committee members to commissioners, have been sacked,” the governor said.

He added that traditional rulers from the community would lose their certificates of recognition, while all town union leaderships in Amasiri villages had been dissolved.

“The government has decided to bare its fangs,” he declared.

The governor cautioned the Amasiri people against interpreting the action as personal hostility, insisting that his administration remained fair and just.

“I am not against anybody. I only say the truth, and we love and adore the Amasiri people,” he said.

“They should have a change of heart. I am sure the community still has people who fear God and do His will.”

Nwifuru assured the people of Okporojo that the government would not abandon them, pledging that perpetrators of the violence would be arrested and prosecuted.

“I beg the people of Okporojo to shun reprisals. They will see the immediate impact of government actions on this matter,” he said.

He also commended security agencies for their swift intervention and urged them to intensify efforts to restore peace and protect lives in the affected areas.

Chairman of Edda Local Government Council, Chima Ekuma-Nkama, thanked the governor for the visit, saying it restored the people’s confidence in government.

“The people had felt abandoned, but today they have seen that the government is with them,” he said.

“It is disturbing to see human heads severed from their bodies. We wonder what the attackers intended to do with those heads.”

One of the victims, Joy Okoro, said she lost a loved one and had her house razed during the attack.

“All we want is justice. Only justice will make us believe in life again,” she said.

NAN reports that the governor was accompanied by heads of security agencies in the state and top government officials, particularly from the affected local government areas.