Amasiri Community Petitions ICC, UN Over Alleged Rights Violations by Ebonyi Governor

The Amasiri community in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has petitioned international and national human rights bodies, accusing Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of crimes against humanity, abuse of power and gross violations of citizens’ rights following a renewed boundary crisis with the Oso community of Edda.

In a petition dated February 9, 2026, and addressed to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Amnesty International Nigeria, the National Human Rights Commission, the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Assembly, and the National Security Adviser, the petitioner, M.O. Idam, Esq., alleged that the governor ordered a military invasion of Amasiri communities.

The petition claims that soldiers deployed to the area have carried out extra-judicial killings, destroyed homes, looted properties, carted away ancestral artefacts and shut down schools, preventing children from registering for or sitting national examinations. It describes the actions as collective punishment without investigation or a fair hearing.

According to the petition, the crisis stems from a long-running boundary dispute between the Amasiri and Oso communities, marked by cycles of retaliation over several generations. While acknowledging reports that about four persons were allegedly killed in Oso, the petitioner said Amasiri has consistently denied involvement and had previously filed multiple petitions with security agencies and the state government over attacks it claims were carried out against its own people.

The document references the reported killing of a retired Nigerian Army warrant officer and his wife on their farmland in March 2025, an incident Amasiri believes was perpetrated by members of Oso. It also states that the community filed a civil action seeking a judicial determination of the disputed boundary, but withdrew the case after the governor reportedly assured them he would personally resolve the matter.

The petition alleges that following complaints from Oso about the recent killings, the governor reacted swiftly by removing government appointees from Amasiri communities, including traditional rulers, closing schools, and directing that no child from the area be registered for national examinations within the state.

It further claims that military operations have since intensified, with security personnel allegedly razing ancestral homes known as Ulogo, seizing sacred artifacts preserved for decades, and destroying property worth billions of naira.

The petitioner argues that even if individuals from Amasiri were involved in the alleged killings in Oso, criminal liability is individual and cannot be attributed collectively to entire communities. He maintains that no domestic or international law permits the violent punishment of civilians for unproven crimes.

The petition also raises concern over a reported directive giving Amasiri 72 hours to recover the decapitated heads of the Oso victims or face further military action. It describes the order as capable of causing grave and irreparable harm, alleging that several lives have already been lost in ongoing operations.

Calling for urgent intervention, the petitioner urged authorities to allow schoolchildren to return to classrooms and participate in national examination processes, withdraw military forces from Amasiri, and conduct an impartial investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible for the killings in Oso.

Beyond domestic remedies, the petition seeks international accountability. It calls on the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged violations under Articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute. It urges the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Canada to consider visa restrictions against the governor.

The petitioner said the objective is not to excuse criminality but to ensure that justice is pursued lawfully and that innocent civilians are protected from what he described as disproportionate and unlawful state action.