Nwifuru Relaxes Amasiri Curfew, Insists State’s Demands Must Be Met

Crime Diary, Politics

ABAKALIKI, EBONYI (Newpost Africa): Ebonyi State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has announced a relaxation of the curfew imposed in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area, following recent communal clashes that claimed several lives.

The curfew, initially set from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m., has now been adjusted to 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Nwifuru announced on Tuesday at the New Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki. He warned that residents of Amasiri must produce the severed heads of victims of the Okporojo killings within 72 hours or face stringent penalties.

As of press time, schools remain closed, and economic activities in Amasiri are paralysed as security agencies continue investigations into the unrest.

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The crisis erupted on January 29, 2026, when armed men, allegedly from Amasiri, invaded Okporojo in Afikpo South Local Government Area, setting houses ablaze and killing at least four people.

In response, Governor Nwifuru dismissed all government appointees from Amasiri, dissolved the community development union leadership and village heads, and withdrew the certificate of the community’s traditional ruler.

Visibly angered by the killings, Nwifuru described the attack as “most unfortunate,” stressing that he never expected such brutality in the state. He vowed that his administration would act decisively to restore peace and ensure justice for the victims.

The governor’s tough measures mirror his earlier intervention in Effium Community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, where he successfully quelled a protracted bloody communal conflict between the aborigines (Effium) and the Ezza people—a crisis that had devastated the once-thriving agrarian town for years, lasting through the past administration of Engr. Dave Umahi.