Security forces in southeastern Nigeria have uncovered multiple shallow graves containing bodies believed to be victims of recent violent clashes between communities in Ebonyi State, officials said.
Lt. Col. Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for Nigeria’s 82 Division, confirmed that several burial sites including remains of both adults and children have been located during ongoing operations.
The discovery highlights the grave scale of recent atrocities linked to a long-running boundary dispute between the Amasiri community and residents of the neighboring Oso Edda area.
According to Ayeni, troops were deployed not to intimidate civilians but in direct response to reports of gruesome killings, including the earlier beheadings of four people in Okporojo village in Edda Local Government Area and to support peace enforcement efforts.
The Nigerian Army emphasized that curfews imposed by the state government, and the presence of security forces, aim to protect residents, secure the area, and assist investigators as they work to dismantle criminal networks that have exploited the boundary tension.
Authorities said the operation involves joint teams from the Nigerian Army, police, intelligence services and civil defence corps conducting patrols, searches and forensic work.
They stressed that the military action targets suspected perpetrators of violence, not the civilian population.
The discovery of these burial sites has drawn both national and international attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in Ebonyi, a region already affected by decades-long disputes over land rights and community boundaries.
