By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
Prominent voices across Ebonyi State, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and socio-cultural youth groups, have condemned in strong terms the gruesome killing of over 13 Ebonyi indigenes in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State on June 30, 2025.
The Ebonyi State Chapter of CAN, during a press briefing, Thursday in Abakaliki, described the act as a "heinous, premeditated massacre and a crime against God and humanity." The state CAN Chairman, Rev. Dr. Scamb Chinedum Nwokolo, decried the horrific attack where gunmen stormed a peaceful meeting of Ebonyians and opened fire, killing at least 13 and injuring several others.
“How could any sane person contemplate such a heinous crime—invading a group of harmless and armless people in their lawful meeting to perpetrate such brutal murder without recourse to morality, law, or the sanctity of life?” Dr. Nwokolo lamented, referencing Matthew 26:52 in condemnation of the bloodshed.
Also speaking, Rev. Dr. Joseph Nwibo, CAN’s Vice-Chairman, urged calm, stressing the need for thorough investigation while commending Ebonyi youths for their restraint despite provocation. “We must allow law enforcement agencies to investigate and reveal the truth,” he advised.
The CAN Secretary, Rev. Fr. Joseph Origbo, emphasized that the coordination and scale of the killings indicated a premeditated act. “This kind of mass murder is planned. The blood of the innocent cries out, and this must not be swept under the carpet,” he added.
The association called on Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to direct urgent investigations into the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice. It also applauded the preliminary steps taken by the Anambra State Police Command but urged broader security intervention to prevent recurrence.
Similarly, Prince Uche Ali Ega, President of Umuekumenyi Youths Worldwide—a pan-Ebonyi youth body condemned the massacre and described it as one in a disturbing pattern of targeted attacks against Ebonyians in Anambra.
“It is most worrisome that the unabated negative profiling and attacks on our people have now taken an even deadlier form,” Prince Ega said. He recalled past killings, including the June 19, 2025, shooting of Chinedu Ohaji in Oko, and the earlier killing of Master Fabian Ugo in Onitsha allegedly by the Anambra Vigilante.
He questioned why Anambra seemed increasingly unsafe for Ebonyi indigenes, calling on Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State and Governor Soludo to engage and act decisively to end the killings.
Prince Ega commended Governor Nwifuru’s prompt intervention and acknowledged the solidarity of Concerned Anambra Citizens residing in Ebonyi State, urging them to relay the gravity of the situation back to their home authorities.
He also extolled the six House of Representatives members from Ebonyi State for raising the matter on the floor of the National Assembly as a motion of urgent public importance.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abakaliki Branch, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the killings as a gross violation of human rights and the Nigerian Constitution.
In the statement signed by its Chairman, Barr. Edeh Samuel Edeh, the NBA described the massacre as “an affront to the sanctity of human life, the rule of law, and the very foundations of our constitutional democracy.”
Citing Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees every citizen the right to life, the NBA said the attackers must be swiftly arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
The legal body called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governors Nwifuru and Soludo, and the Inspector General of Police to: " Deploy security operatives to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, conduct a full-scale investigation into the causes and implications of the attack and strengthen inter-state collaboration to prevent further violence and promote peaceful coexistence."
The NBA also urged the National and State Assemblies to work with the executive arms to establish legal frameworks that deter such violence.
“To the bereaved families, we extend our deepest condolences. The NBA Abakaliki Branch stands in unshakable solidarity with you. Justice must not only be done—it must be seen to be done," the statement partly read.
NATIONAL PANEL reports that the coordinated responses across religious, legal, and cultural sectors in Ebonyi State since the ugly incidence in Anambra reflect a growing call for accountability, justice, and peaceful coexistence in the Southeast region amid rising insecurity.
