Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has ordered the immediate shutdown of all public and private schools in Amasiri, Afikpo North Local Government Area, and imposed a daily 20-hour curfew on the community following the killing of four persons in neighbouring Okporojo village.
The governor also directed the shutdown of the Amasiri Development Centre and initiated moves to repeal the law establishing it.
The decisions were among far-reaching resolutions reached at an emergency meeting of the Ebonyi State Security Council held on Saturday night in Abakaliki.
The meeting was convened in response to a violent attack on Okporojo village in Oso Edda Community, Edda Local Government Area, allegedly carried out by suspected warlords from neighbouring Amasiri.
Okporojo and Amasiri communities have been locked in a decades-long boundary dispute that has claimed several lives, despite repeated interventions by successive governments.
Earlier on Saturday, Governor Nwifuru visited Okporojo where he commiserated with the victims’ families and directed security agencies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attack.
Briefing journalists after the security council meeting, the governor announced sweeping security and administrative measures aimed at restoring peace and preventing further violence.
According to him, the council advised, and the state government approved, the immediate dethronement of the two traditional rulers in Amasiri clan.
“The letters of their dethronement will be issued to them tomorrow,” he said.
The governor further announced the dissolution of all community-based leadership structures in Amasiri, including development union executives, village heads, women and youth leaders, peer groups and all other formal or informal organisations operating in the clan.
“Government agreed with the council’s directive and dissolved all the executives of the development union, village heads, women leaders, youth leaders, peer groups and every other organisation in the Amasiri clan,” he said.
Mr Nwifuru said the chairmen of Afikpo, Ivo, Ohaozara and Onicha Local Government Areas were directed to jointly oversee administration and government activities in Amasiri until further notice.
He also announced the immediate shutdown of all amenities in the community, including schools.
“Accordingly, all government and private schools in Amasiri Development Centre and Amasiri clan are hereby closed down, and all teachers are to be posted to other schools in other communities,” the governor said.
On the scrapping of the Amasiri Development Centre, Mr Nwifuru disclosed that a bill had been prepared and would be sent to the State House of Assembly to repeal sections of the law that created the centre.
“A bill for a law to repeal the local government and development centre law of Ebonyi State, 2015, has been prepared to delete Amasiri Development Centre from the list of development centres in the state,” he said.
The governor further announced the imposition of a daily curfew on Amasiri community from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m.
He said all markets, shops, banks, quarries and other commercial activities would remain shut during the curfew hours.
Mr Nwifuru added that security agencies had been directed to immediately arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killings in Okporojo.
He said the measures, though drastic, were necessary to restore law and order and reassure residents of the state government’s commitment to security.
“These resolutions take immediate effect. The Ebonyi State Government will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in any part of the state,” the governor warned.
