By CHARLES IWUOHA

Activist lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has condemned what he described as unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional actions taken by the Ebonyi State Government against the people of Amasiri communities, following a reported attack on another community in the state.

Idam, in a petition dated January 31, 2026, and addressed to Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff, warned that the government’s actions could trigger reprisals, communal unrest and further insecurity if not urgently reversed.

The petition followed a viral press statement attributed to Governor Nwifuru, announcing the dismissal of all government appointees of Amasiri extraction and the dethronement of traditional rulers from the area.

The action reportedly came after the mass arrest of residents of Amasiri communities by military personnel over an alleged attack on properties and residents of another Ebonyi community.

Idam, condemned the development, describing it as “hasty, draconian and despotic,” noting that the measures were allegedly based on an unverified assumption that the perpetrators of the attack must have come from Amasiri due to historical tensions between both communities.

According to him, the collective punishment meted out to the communities amounts to a “primitive exercise of executive power” and a premeditated act of illegality against innocent citizens who were neither investigated nor given a fair hearing.

He further stated that the Amasiri communities currently had no grievance with Oso dwellers, stressing that Amasiri leaders were instrumental in championing the December 2025 peace accord aimed at maintaining calm, even ahead of a final government resolution of the conflict.

The lawyer also pointed out that the alleged attack occurred during a period traditionally reserved for burial rites across Amasiri communities, from January 25 to 31, during which residents are culturally barred from leaving their communities for other engagements.

Idam warned that the governor’s approach to conflict management had heightened fear and tension within Amasiri, leaving residents unable to move freely or engage in their livelihoods due to anxiety over possible government-backed attacks.

He cautioned that failure to reverse the actions could deepen economic hardship, worsen political instability and trigger a broader security crisis in the state.

The lawyer called on the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Defence Staff to intervene by advising the governor to halt further military deployment against the communities and ensure the immediate release of residents allegedly arrested from their homes and places of business.

He also urged the Ebonyi State Government to reinstate all dismissed appointees of Amasiri extraction and restore the affected traditional rulers in the interest of peace and security.

“Only justice, restraint and adherence to the rule of law can prevent further breakdown of order,” Idam warned.

He said: “Alert against the unlawful, illegal, and unconstitutional exercise of executive power against the people of Amasiri communities, following a hasty and unverifiable report by the governor of Ebonyi State.

“The urgent need to prevent reprisal or government-sponsored attacks and further mass arrests of Amasiri communities.”

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