The Amasiri Community in Ebonyi State has appealed the 72-hour ultimatum issued by Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, denying allegations of killings and abductions linked to recent violence in Edda.
The Amasiri community was recently involved in a land dispute with neighbouring Okporojo village, in Oso community of Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi, resulting in four deaths and destruction of several properties.
Earlier in February, the police arrested Anya Baron-Ogbonnia, the coordinator of Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo, in connection with the killing.
At the time, the police said two traditional rulers, Onyaidam Bassey and Godfrey Oko-Obia from Amasiri in the Afikpo council area, had also been arrested in connection with the killing.
In a response to the incident, Mr Nwifuru sacked political appointees and dethroned traditional rulers from the Amasiri community over alleged complicity in the violent land dispute.
The governor also issued a 72-hour ultimatum, demanding that Amasiri produce the severed heads of alleged victims and return abducted persons, warning of severe sanctions if not complied with.
On Tuesday, the community, in a statement by its spokesperson, Joy Omagha Idam, claimed it has no knowledge of the alleged crimes and is instead suffering from human rights abuses and brutal treatment by security forces.
“We state categorically that Amasiri has no knowledge whatsoever of the alleged killings or abductions. The community neither participated in, facilitated, nor condoned any such acts,” the statement said.
It explained that any attempt to ascribe collective criminal responsibility to Amasiri constitutes a grave violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees the presumption of innocence and expressly prohibits collective punishment.
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According to the community, several of its members have been killed or abducted, including a retired Warrant Officer, Chukwu Charles, his wife Patricia, and others.
They allege that security operations in Amasiri have led to widespread human rights abuses, with senior citizens being assaulted, women humiliated, and children unable to attend school.
“Numerous other innocent residents have been displaced, brutalised, or subjected to inhumane treatment in the course of ongoing security operations.
“Despite these facts, the community is being threatened with severe sanctions and punitive measures for crimes it knows nothing about.
“This approach is not only unjust and disproportionate but poses a serious risk of further escalation of violence and breakdown of law and order,” the statement said.
The community called for an impartial investigation into the allegations, urging federal and international intervention to halt the abuses and restore peace.
