Attack threat: Journalists report Amasiri WhatsApp plot Edda

A media group in Ebonyi State has alleged that members of the Amasiri community are planning a fresh attack on the Edda people, citing intercepted audio recordings as evidence. The claims heighten tensions in a region recently scarred by communal violence.

The Edda Media Practitioners, a group of professional journalists, said at a press conference in Abakaliki that nine voice notes in the Amasiri dialect have circulated on WhatsApp. Coordinator Ikenna Emewu stated the recordings detail a plot to assault Oso Edda and provoke Nigerian Army soldiers stationed in Amasiri into a confrontation. The alleged scheme involves attackers clashing with troops, then luring them into an ambush near Edda to frame the local community and justify a new assault.

These allegations follow a February 29, 2026 attack on Okporojo village in the Edda community, where four people were reportedly killed and beheaded, one person abducted, and property destroyed. In response, Governor Francis Nwifuru imposed a curfew, closed schools, and dismissed political appointees in the affected area. The media group claims that since mid-2023, attacks attributed to Amasiri have resulted in 14 Edda deaths, two abductions, and the burning of over 29 homes.

Emewu praised the state government’s intervention but asserted that the newly obtained audio evidence proves Amasiri’s “collective complicity” in the long-running conflict. He said the clips include boasts of spiritual protection and admissions from two individuals regarding the January attack. The group has submitted the recordings to security agencies and urged the public to heed the warning.

The allegations were swiftly denied by Amasiri indigenes on social media. Community members described the claims as false propaganda, with one commenter suggesting the conflict is politically motivated rather than a land dispute. “Amasiri is not daft. The claim that we are planning an attack is another lie,” stated one resident, Kingsley Adams.

The exchange underscores the fragile security situation in Ebonyi State’s border communities. With the Nigerian Army deployed to maintain peace, the media group’s warning suggests a deliberate attempt to destabilize the area by manipulating military presence. The situation now hinges on security agencies’ assessment of the alleged plot and their ability to prevent further escalation between the neighboring communities.