‘We must recover heads of those beheaded, no killing of soldiers in Amasiri – Army insists 

By Uchenna Okeh Abakaliki 

The Nigerian Army has vowed that it will ensure complete recovery of the heads of those beheaded by warlords suspected to be Amasiri people in Okporojo village in Edda local government area of Ebonyi State.

The military equally dismissed the rumours making the rounds in Ebonyi state that soldiers were murdered by warlords in the Amasiri community recently.

The Nigerian Army, Nkwagu Ebonyi State Cantonment commander, Lt. Col. Emmanuel Chielo made this known while speaking to newsmen in Abakaliki on the efforts put in place by the security agencies to ensure return of peace and order in the war zone of Okporojo village and Amasiri.

Chielo, however decried the rising issues of drug abuse among Youths and the movement of small arms in the southeast region. 

“You know, security generally, there are many causes of insecurity. Most of what we see as security is just a physical manifestation. But whenever I say that there’s insecurity, when you research beyond the surface, there’s always underlying causes.

“There’s always a lot of underlying causes. But in terms of manifestation, the major one that is of serious concern is the issue of communal clashes. Communal clashes over ancestral land, chieftaincy title, etc.

“And now, again, a lot of effort has been made, even in the past, on some of these security issues. And that’s why the level of peace we’re enjoying in Ebonyi State. I’m sure in the entire Southeast, Ebonyi State is the most peaceful at the moment.

“And that’s a fact. If not for some of these issues that I’ve enumerated, Ebonyi State is the most peaceful in the Southeast. And that’s because it didn’t just happen.

“One of the key issues is that we want the heads of those people beheaded. You can’t kill people. It’s not enough that you kill them.

“You now cut off their heads as if they are animals. What are you doing to the heads of your fellow human beings? And what is even more painful is that these are our brothers. It’s not as if it’s Yoruba, or someone from Mali or Niger.

“These are people from the same ancestors. It’s really saddening. While I was growing up, I never imagined that something like this could happen in Nigeria.

Speaking on the alleged killing of two soldiers in Amasiri, Chielo said: “None of my men have been killed. The operation in Amasiri is a joint one.

“With the police, the DSS and civil defence. That is a joint operation. What happened was that on the first day of our deployment, they probably assumed that the strength of the soldiers there were very few.

“And they came and attacked us, actually. And we responded. The only thing is that, because the area was a built-up area, they had to be cautious so that we don’t have casualties of shooting straight bullets and killing innocent people in their homes.

“If not, that night, a lot of things would have gone wrong. We just tried to be very professional. If we had used annoyance or emotion to act that night, it would have been bloody.

“We were fairly attacked. So, aside from that, none of my soldiers have been killed in this operation” he emphasized.

The cantonment commander, Chielo however backed the actions of the governor, Francis Nwifuru towards the restoration of peace and order in both Okporojo village and Amasiri community.

“I heard some people talking or blaming the governor for what he did. Even if you are the person that goes to that place, you will not say the governor is too lenient. If you go to that place, an old woman walking with a walking stick, you behead her.

“What has she done to you? Struggling to survive, struggling to live. Now, if these people now mobilize and say they want to carry out a reprisal attack, are you going to blame them? And that’s what we are trying to prevent. It’s not as if they don’t have the capacity to do that.

Chielo also decried the rising drug abuse and movement of small arms in the southeast region; “Now, aside the issue of communal clash, another major security threat, which we are also working on is, you know, every state is gradually becoming a transit for movement of small arms. It’s a problem.

“You may not see it now, but it’s a problem. You see people with keke, as if they are going to farm. They are carrying weapons to go and deliver to somebody.

“Apart from that, the issue of drugs is also there. And all these things are contributory factors.

“So I think, in my view, the government is making good efforts both at the federal and state level. But a lot more can be done. And we should not only rely on the government” he stressed.