At least four people were beheaded and several others injured in a violent attack linked to a long-standing land dispute between neighbouring communities in Ebonyi State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the incident happened late on Thursday night in Oso Edda, Edda LGA, when suspected assailants from the neighbouring Amasiri community in Afikpo LGA reportedly stormed villages in the area and carried out the brutal assault that left multiple residents dead and property destroyed.
The feud between the Oso Edda and Amasiri communities is rooted in a decades-old boundary disagreement over farmland and land ownership, a conflict that has previously claimed numerous lives and led to the destruction of homes and property worth billions of naira despite repeated peace efforts by successive state governments.
In the most recent violence, witnesses said attackers took the severed heads of the victims after beheading them, and some residents were reportedly abducted or remain missing.
Security sources said many villagers were also shot and wounded during the raid, and houses were set ablaze as the assailants moved through the community before security forces were deployed.
The Commissioner for Internal Security in Ebonyi State, Chief Etta Ude, confirmed that security has been strengthened in the area with support from the police, the Nigerian Army, and other agencies to prevent further bloodshed.
In response to the violence, Governor Francis Nwifuru described the killings as barbaric and a flagrant disregard for the sanctity of human life, vowing that no effort will be spared to get to the root of the matter and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
He ordered a thorough investigation and increased security deployment to stop reprisals and further attacks, appealing to residents to avoid taking the law into their own hands and instead embrace peace.
Authorities continue to investigate the attack as calm returns to the area under the watch of security forces.
