A fresh wave of horror has gripped Ebonyi State following a brutal attack on the Okporojo community in Oso Edda, Edda Local Government Area, where armed assailants reportedly beheaded four residents and abducted several others. The incident, which occurred late Thursday, January 29, 2026, has reignited tensions over a decades-long land dispute between the community and their neighbors in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area.
Residents of the affected community were thrown into panic when gunmen invaded the area, shooting sporadically and setting residential houses ablaze. Eyewitness accounts and viral video footage from the scene depict a gruesome aftermath, with bodies of victims left headless in pools of blood. Local sources confirmed that the attackers severed the heads of at least four victims and took them away, a barbaric act that has drawn widespread condemnation from state officials and security agencies.
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Internal Security, Etta Uka Ude, confirmed the killings in an interview in Abakaliki on Friday. Visibly shaken by the brutality of the assault, Ude described the act as alien to the culture of the Ebonyi people and “totally unacceptable.” He revealed that the attack occurred in a village that is not even part of the disputed land territory, suggesting a deliberate escalation of violence by the aggressors. The Commissioner stated that upon receiving intelligence of the attack on Thursday evening, the state government immediately mobilized the Army, including the Women Battalion Commander, and tactical police squads to the zone to prevent further bloodshed.
Governor Francis Nwifuru has expressed deep shock over the incident, vowing that his administration will not tolerate such “flagrant disregard for the sanctity of human life.” In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, the Governor described the carnage as an affront to his government’s peace-building efforts. He has directed security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and their sponsors, warning that no individual or group is above the law. Nwifuru appealed to the grieving families of Oso Edda to refrain from reprisal attacks, assuring them that the government would ensure justice is served.
The violence is believed to be the latest flare-up in the perennial boundary tussle between the Oso Edda and Amasiri communities, a conflict that has claimed lives and property worth billions of naira over the years despite multiple peace interventions. As of Saturday morning, a combined team of the military and police has cordoned off the affected areas to restore calm, while a manhunt for the fleeing suspects and the missing abductees is currently underway.
