Ebonyi’s Amasiri Community Under Siege: N100bn Lawsuit Filed Against Govt, Security Agencies Over Brutal Curfew

Ebonyi’s Amasiri Community Under Siege: N100bn Lawsuit Filed Against Govt, Security Agencies Over Brutal Curfew

By Primetime Reports

Residents of the Amasiri community in Ebonyi state said their lives have become a living hell due to a 20-hour curfew imposed by the state governor, Mr Francis Nwifuru, following the brutal killing in a neighbouring community.

Although reports have hinted that the curfew has been relaxed to 12 hours, residents said they can no longer continue to live under the curfew and presence of heavy security operatives, whom they accused of torture and housebreaking, as they call for urgent restoration of normalcy in Amasiri and withdrawal of the security personnel from their homes.

The 20-hour curfew, it can be recalled, follows escalated tension on January 29, 2026, when suspected attackers reportedly struck Okporojo village in Oso Edda, a neighbouring community, leading to the alleged beheading of four men.

In response, the Ebonyi State Government, led by Governor Francis Nwifuru, imposed sweeping measures affecting the Amasiri community, which the residents alleged that the government blamed them for the beheading without conducting any investigations before the curfew was imposed.

The residents said the 20-hour daily curfew, closure of public and private schools, shutdown of banks and markets, redeployment of teachers, dissolution of certain community structures, and heavy deployment of security personnel to the area.

While government officials have maintained that the measures were aimed at restoring and preventing further violence, including reprisal attacks on the Amasiri community. However, the Amasiri residents say the curfew and other measures by the government have made life a living hell for them.

One Mrs Joy, an indigene of Amasiri, said, “In Amasiri, daily survival has become a difficult endeavour as farmers cannot easily access their fields. Traders have watched their goods spoil in locked shops. Students preparing for national examinations remain at home as classrooms stay closed. The curfew has affected access to healthcare delivery and every aspect of life. It’s as if they do not want the Amasiri community to remain in existence as a community in Ebonyi state.”

Mrs Joy recounted how an elderly relative fell ill during the curfew and could not be transported immediately for treatment.

“Since the curfew started, movement has been difficult. Hospitals, markets, schools – everything is affected. People are struggling and dying. Personally, I witnessed the impact of these harsh measures of the government, as one of my in-laws, an 80-year-old woman, fell ill, but due to the curfew, she could not be transported to the hospital. She died. This is a woman that could have lived to be 100, but her life was cut short. Also, pregnant women are giving birth at home, and they and their children cannot access medical care in the hospital.”

Community leaders also expressed worry about the suspension of traditional institutions and administrative structures, describing them as pillars of social stability in the town.

It was gathered that two traditional rulers, Ezeogo Idam Bassey Onya (Ekuma Ubaghala III of Amasiri Autonomous Community) and Ezeogo Godfrey Oko Obia (Isa Ogu IV of Ndukwe Autonomous Community), as well as the Amasiri Community Development Association Coordinator. Hon. Baron Enya Ogbonnia is reportedly in custody. Residents say their continued detention has heightened anxiety within the community.

Following the devastating impact of the curfew, a lawyer identified as Barrister Madabuchi Idam has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding N100 billion in exemplary and aggravated damages over what he describes as widespread violations of the fundamental rights of Amasiri people.

In the suit filed before the Federal High Court, Idam is asking the court to determine whether the actions taken against Amasiri amount to collective punishment and whether they violate constitutional protections guaranteeing freedom of movement, association, education and fair hearing.

Joined in the suit are several security and government officials, including the Inspector-General of Police, the army and other federal authorities.

Legal observers note that Nigerian law prohibits collective punishment and requires that sanctions be evidence-based and proportionate.

“While the killings in Oso Edda demand justice, accountability must follow due process, and sanctions must target perpetrators, not entire communities.”

Beyond the legal filings, fear has spread across Amasiri due to security agencies’ alleged activities of alleged maltreatment. Sources said residents have reportedly relocated to neighbouring towns, wary of security operations and uncertain about when normalcy will return. The presence of armed personnel in civilian areas, residents say, has created a climate of tension rather than reassurance.

Civil servants and students of Amasiri origin claim they have faced disruptions in work and schooling outside the community, though government officials have denied allegations of discriminatory enforcement.

Community representatives are appealing to the Federal Government and international human rights organisations to intervene, urging dialogue, independent investigation into the violence, and restoration of civil institutions.

“. We, the indigenes of Amasiri living outside the state, have come together to donate food items, medical supplies and cash to be taken to those in the village. It has become a humanitarian crisis for which the government at the federal level and the international community must come to our rescue. We also called for clear boundary demarcation between the Amasiri community and the Oso Edda community to prevent recurring clashes. We urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and call on the governor to restore normalcy to the Amasiri community by lifting the curfew and releasing our leaders that have been in jail.” All we are saying is that the government should restore normalcy to Amasiri and go after the killers and give them justice. The security personnel deployed to the community should be withdrawn as well.” Says an indigene.