Police in Ebonyi State, in southeastern Nigeria, say they have arrested the coordinator of Amasiri Development Centre, Anya Baron-Ogbonnia, alongside two traditional rulers, over the deadly attack in Okporojo Community. Okay News reports that the incident happened in Edda Local Government Area, a local council area in Ebonyi State.
Police said four people were killed during the violence. Reports from the community said three of the victims were beheaded and their heads were taken away by the attackers.
Confirming the arrests, the spokesperson for the Ebonyi State Police Command, Joshua Ukandu, a Senior Superintendent of Police, named the detained traditional rulers as Onyaidam Bassey and Godfrey Oko-Obia.
“Yes, following the attack, the coordinator of Amasiri, two traditional rulers, and other individuals were arrested during a joint security operation,” he said on Tuesday, 3 February 2026.
“All suspects are currently in our custody, and investigations are ongoing. The command will not relent until everyone involved is brought to justice.”
Ukandu said the operation involved multiple security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
He added that 10 other suspects had earlier been arrested as investigators continued to look into what happened and who may have played a role.
The killings were linked to a long-running land dispute between residents of Okporojo village in the Oso Edda Community, within Edda Local Government Area (LGA), and their neighbours from Amasiri in Afikpo Local Government Area. In many parts of Nigeria, land ownership disagreements between neighbouring communities can last for years and sometimes trigger violence when tensions rise.
According to accounts from the area, the dispute escalated on Thursday, 29 January 2026, when suspected armed persons attacked Okporojo, killing four residents and setting houses and other property on fire.
Following the incident, Francis Nwifuru, the governor of Ebonyi State, announced the dissolution of the political and traditional leadership structures of the Amasiri clan in Afikpo LGA. In Nigeria, traditional rulers are community leaders who play influential cultural and local governance roles, even though they are not elected political office holders.
The governor also removed the affected officials on Sunday, 1 February 2026, during a visit to Okporojo village in Oso Edda community, as the state government faced growing calls to act quickly after the killings.
Earlier, a traditional leader in the affected community had appealed for urgent intervention, urging security agencies to track down and arrest those responsible for the attack and prevent further violence.
