The Nigerian Army has categorically denied sensational social media reports alleging that two soldiers were killed and a patrol vehicle burnt during the Amasiri/Oso Edda communal crisis in Ebonyi State.
The clarification was made by Lt. Col. Emmanuel Chielo, Cantonment Commander of Nkwagu Military Barracks, who addressed journalists on the ongoing security operations aimed at restoring peace. The violence, which recently claimed the lives of five individuals in Idima Okporojo Village, has been marred by misinformation.
Reacting to the viral claims, Lt. Col. Chielo stated emphatically, “None of my men have been killed... What happened was that on the first day of our deployment, they probably assumed that the number of soldiers on the ground was small, and they attacked us. We responded, but... we had to be very cautious to avoid shooting innocent people."
He praised the professionalism of his troops, noting that acting on emotion could have led to a bloodier outcome. The commander also outlined a primary objective of the security operation: the recovery of severed heads of beheaded victims.
“One of the key issues we want to address is the recovery of the heads of those beheaded,” he lamented. “What is even more painful is that these are our brothers and sisters... It is really saddening.”
Lt. Col. Chielo identified deep-seated issues fueling the insecurity, including communal clashes over land and chieftaincy, drug abuse among youths, and the alarming proliferation of small arms in the South-East. He revealed, “You see people riding tricycles as if they are going to the farm, but they are transporting weapons.”
Despite the challenges, the commander commended the Ebonyi State Government's security council decisions and asserted that the state remains the most peaceful in the region. “Ebonyi State is currently the most peaceful state in the South-East,” he stated, while calling for collective responsibility in tackling security threats beyond government efforts alone.
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