Ezeagu-Enugu Army Feud: 10 Houses Burnt, Whereabouts of Arrested Youths Unknown
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) and the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) have reported that at least ten civilian houses were completely destroyed by fire, along with other belongings, during a recent military operation in the Imezi-Owa community, located in the Ezeagu local government area of Enugu State. The groups also stated that the fate of three young men allegedly taken into custody by soldiers during the operation remains unknown since the incident occurred on May 5 of this year.
The identified young men are Ndubuisi Chikelu, Thank God Chikelu, and Chidi Nosike. Additionally, a 15-year-old named Chisom Okafor, whose elderly grandmother was reportedly trapped inside one of the houses set ablaze by army personnel, was later found to have been abandoned at a police station in Enugu, allegedly because she was suspected of being an IPOB/ESN informant.
Based on their investigation of the tragic events of May 5 and 6, the groups allege that the army invasion may have been provoked by leaders of the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, who have been a persistent threat to the indigenous people of most of the 14 autonomous communities across Ezeagu Local Government Area since 2010.
The investigation was conducted by a six-person team established by the organizations. The report, signed by Intersociety head Emeka Umeagbalasi and CLO Southeast Coordinator Aloysius Attah, among others, and released in Enugu on Tuesday, claims that the army invasion also forced hundreds of defenseless local youths, aged 20 to 30, to flee their homes and lawful occupations to avoid being killed or disappeared under the pretext of being IPOB/ESN informants or collaborators.
According to the report, the unfortunate chain of events began when the Nigerian Army in Enugu invited members of the Ezeagu Unit of the State Forest Guards to a meeting. The local vigilantes arrived at the meeting venue and were immediately disarmed by the military, who accused them of collaborating with ESN. The disarmed vigilantes were then forced to lead the soldiers into the forest, where the ESN camp was supposedly located. As they approached, the soldiers reportedly laid an ambush, catching their enemies off guard and opening fire, destroying the camp and causing many armed non-state actors to flee.
The shooting took place inside the Ajali River Forest Valley and surrounding farmlands, more than two kilometers away from residential areas. In the ensuing chaos, three army personnel were wounded in crossfire, forcing them to retreat, reinforce, and return to the scene around 2:30 pm the same day. The report adds that when the army returned, instead of going back to the Ajali River Forest Valley, they invaded four residential areas of Imezi-Owa’s Akwuke-Umudim, Abonuzu, Eziama, and Eziowa villages, launching a war-grade attack that included indiscriminate burning and destruction of civilian houses.
Six of the burnt residential houses belonged to Ezeagu civil servants, identified as Chukwuka Uwakwe, Ifeanyi Uwakwe, Ezeaka Uwakwe, Dominic Okafor, Onyema Okafor, and Okenna Okafor. The groups urged the Nigerian Army to de-criminalize its operations in the South-East and cease IPOB/ESN-phobia, emphasizing the need to end hateful and discriminatory soldiering, law enforcement, and mass criminalization.
They called for the unconditional release, alive and in good health, of Chisom Okafor, Ndubuisi Chikelu, Thank God Chikelu, and Chidi Nosike, as well as any others likely arrested since May 6, 2026. The groups also urged the Enugu State government to liaise with the innocent families whose houses were burnt for auditing and replacement, payment of adequate compensation, and prevention of future occurrences. They warned that failure to do so will likely leave the affected families, friends, and well-wishers with no other option than to sue the Army’s 82 Division and the Enugu State Government for damages, adequate compensation, and unreserved public apologies.
