The Headquarters, 82 Division Nigerian Army, has clarified that the ongoing security operation in Amasiri, Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, is a joint intervention aimed at protecting innocent citizens and restoring peace, not an invasion as portrayed in some social media reports.
This clarification follows the circulation of videos online in which some journalists criticised the deployment of troops to the area after the killing of residents in the Amasiri–Edda axis.
In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, described the claims as misleading and inconsistent with the true purpose of the operation.
According to the statement, troops were deployed in response to the gruesome killings and beheadings of four individuals in Okporojo village, Edda Local Government Area, as well as the discovery of shallow graves containing mutilated bodies in Amasiri. These disturbing incidents necessitated urgent security intervention to prevent further violence, protect lives, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
The statement further explained that the Ebonyi State Government, acting within its constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and property, imposed a curfew and temporarily closed schools in Amasiri to contain the situation and prevent escalation.
Security agencies were consequently deployed to enforce the curfew, secure the environment for investigations, protect medical and forensic teams, and manage the humanitarian aspects of the crisis.
Joint security teams comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have since been conducting intelligence-driven patrols, cordon-and-search operations, and forensic exhumations across affected locations.
Credible intelligence, the statement noted, has led to the identification of multiple burial sites, including graves containing the remains of adults and children, highlighting the scale and brutality of the crimes and reinforcing the need for a sustained security presence.
The Army emphasised that the operation is not targeted at the people of Amasiri, but rather at criminal elements exploiting communal tensions to carry out heinous acts. It stressed that the operation is professional, intelligence-led, and conducted in collaboration with local leaders to ensure transparency and accountability.
The Nigerian Army and other security agencies reassured the public of their continued commitment to protecting all citizens without bias and affirmed that operations would continue until peace is fully restored, perpetrators are apprehended, and justice is served.
Members of the public were urged to disregard misinformation and support ongoing efforts to stabilise Afikpo North and neighbouring communities.
