Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Unidentified armed assailants have carried out a deadly attack on Okporojo community in Oso Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, leaving several people dead, abducted and homes destroyed, according to multiple reports from credible Nigerian news outlets. The incident, which occurred on Thursday night, January 29, 2026, has reignited long-standing tensions in the area and sparked urgent calls for security intervention.
Local sources said the gunmen ambushed the community in the late afternoon and evening, shooting sporadically, setting residential buildings on fire and causing widespread panic among residents. Viral videos circulating on social media show houses engulfed in flames, with distraught villagers fleeing into nearby bushes and neighbouring communities as security forces were being mobilised.
Eyewitnesses and community reports indicate that at least four to five persons were beheaded by the attackers, and the perpetrators allegedly took the heads away, a detail that has intensified outrage and fear among locals. Several other villagers are believed to have been killed or abducted, though exact casualty figures remain unconfirmed at this stage.
The attack appears to be linked to a renewed boundary conflict between Okporojo (Oso Edda) and the neighbouring Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area, a dispute over ancestral land that has persisted for decades with intermittent outbreaks of violence. Reports following the latest assault suggest that the assailants may have come from the Amasiri axis, though authorities have not yet formally confirmed the identities or affiliations of the gunmen.
Ebonyi State government and security agencies have been under pressure to respond, but as of the time of reporting, the Ebonyi State Police Command had not issued an official statement, and formal casualty figures were still being ascertained.
However, senior state officials, including the State Commissioner for Internal Security, Chief Etta Uka Ude, have acknowledged that security reinforcements have been deployed to the affected area to restore calm and prevent further escalation. In similar recent coverage, authorities described earlier boundary attacks in the same locality as “barbaric, unlawful and totally unacceptable,” and indicated that tactical police teams and military personnel were mobilised in response.
Analysts note that violence in parts of Ebonyi linked to boundary disputes often spills over into wider insecurity when long-standing grievances are inflamed, and that responses by local governments and law enforcement have not always quelled tensions in a lasting way. Residents of Okporojo and surrounding communities have appealed to both state government and federal security agencies for urgent intervention to protect civilians, investigate the attack, and bring perpetrators to justice.
As families mourn and survivors seek refuge, the situation remains fluid. Efforts to secure the full casualty count, confirm abduction numbers, and clarify security responses are ongoing, and further updates are expected as investigations progress.
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