BREAKING: Tension as Gov Shutdown Schools, Declares Curfew

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has ordered the immediate closure of all schools in Amasiri clan in the Afikpo Local Government Area and imposed a 20-hour daily curfew following a deadly attack allegedly carried out by assailants from the clan in Okporojo village, Edda Local Government Area.

PUNCH Online gathered that the attack led to the killing and beheading of four people and the burning of over nine houses.

The measures were part of resolutions reached at an emergency meeting of the Ebonyi State Security Council on Saturday night, convened in response to the mayhem in Okporojo village, Oso Edda community.

Earlier on Saturday, Nwifuru visited the affected community, commiserated with residents, and directed security agencies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

Briefing journalists after the Security Council meeting in Abakaliki, the governor announced a range of security and administrative measures aimed at restoring calm and preventing further attacks.

He disclosed that, on the council’s advice, the state government approved the immediate dethronement of two traditional rulers in the Amasiri clan.

“The letters of their dethronement will be issued to them tomorrow,” he said.

The governor said the council also ordered the dissolution of all community-based leadership structures in the clan, including development union executives, village heads, women leaders, youth leaders, peer groups, and any other formal or informal organisations operating within the clan.

“Government agreed with the council’s directive and dissolved all the Executives of the Development Union, the village heads, women leaders, women groups, youth leaders and youth groups, youth organisations, women organisations, peer group organisations, and any other organisation in the Amasiri clan,” he said.

Nwifuru said the security council directed that the chairmen of Afikpo, Ivo, Ohaozara, and Onicha local government areas jointly take over administration and government activities in the Amasiri clan until further notice.

The governor said the council also directed that all amenities in the town be shut down immediately, including all schools, public and private, and the Amasiri Development Centre, an arm of the local government.

He added that a bill has been prepared and will be sent to the State House of Assembly to repeal sections of the law establishing the Development Centre.

“The council also advised the government of Ebonyi State to send an executive bill to the House of Assembly for the repeal of the local government and development center law that created Amasiri Development Centre and remove Amasiri Development Centre from the development centres of Ebonyi State.

“The government of Ebonyi State agreed on the directive of the council and a bill for a law to repeal the local government and development center law of Ebonyi State of 2015 has been prepared to send to the House of Assembly to delete Amasiri Development Centre from the development centres in Ebonyi State.

“The council also directed that all government amenities in Amasiri, including schools, both private and public, should, as a matter of urgency, close down, and all teachers and tutors be posted to other schools and communities immediately.

“The government of Ebonyi State agreed with the directive of the council and has directed the Commissioner for Local Government and the Commissioner for Education to immediately implement the directive.

“Accordingly, all government and private schools in Amasiri Development Centre and in the Amasiri clan are hereby closed down, and all teachers are to be posted to other schools in other communities.

“As from tomorrow morning, there will be no school in Amasiri, and there will be no development centre in Amasiri,” the governor said.

Nwifuru said the council also resolved to impose a daily curfew on the Amasiri community from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m.

He said that under the curfew, all markets, shops, businesses, banks, quarries, and other commercial activities are to remain shut during the restricted hours.

Nwifuru added that the council directed security agencies to swing into action to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killings in Okporojo and to recover the severed heads of the victims at all costs.

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 governor said, warning that the state would not tolerate acts of violence or lawlessness in any part of Ebonyi State.