At least 10 civilians have been killed and many others displaced in an attack on the Amegu Nkalaha community in Ebonyi state’s Ishielu local government area, southeastern Nigeria, local police confirmed on Monday.
The assailants, suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group advocating for an independent Biafran state, set several homes ablaze and caused widespread property destruction.
Joshua Ukandu, a spokesperson for the police, confirmed the devastating impact of the assault, stating that “several homes were burned and properties destroyed.” In response to the attack, law enforcement immediately deployed operatives to the affected area to restore order.
The police are currently investigating the incident while affirming that normalcy has since returned to the region. Authorities are focused on identifying those responsible and mitigating the long-term effects of the violence on the community.
Southeastern Nigeria has long been a hotspot for violence linked to the Biafran separatist movement, a cause with deep historical roots dating back to the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s. This conflict, which led to the deaths of around one million people, continues to influence tensions in the region.
While addressing the threat from separatist groups, Nigeria’s security forces are also contending with rising violence in other parts of the country, including the north, where armed criminal gangs are engaged in widespread kidnapping activities.