Activist lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has raised concerns over the implementation of the recently adjusted curfew hours in Amasiri communities of Ebonyi State.
Idam decried that the restrictions remain unchanged despite an official statement from Governor Francis Nwifuru.
At a press briefing on February 17, in Abakaliki, Governor Nwifuru had adjusted the restriction of movement imposed on Amasiri to run from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., replacing the earlier window of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The governor presented the move as a modification of existing security measures in the area.
However, Idam questioned the practical effect of the announcement, claiming that the curfew continues to be enforced under its previous terms.
In a statement he signed, Idam claimed that security operatives, including military, police, and civil defence personnel are still maintaining what residents describe as stringent controls on movement.
Idam, who stated that he has already challenged the curfew and related actions in court, described the situation as contradictory.
He suggested that the public announcement does not reflect the operational reality on the ground and called for clarity from the state government.
According to Idam: “I have refrained from commenting on the continuing willful abuse and violations of the fundamental human rights of members of the Amasiri Communities, including restrictions on their freedom of movement, personal liberty, and fair hearing; the denial of peaceful assembly, freedom of worship, and association; and the degradation of their human dignity, all needlessly inflicted through the military, police and civil defence at the behest of His Excellency Governor Francis Nwifuru.
“This restraint is informed by the fact that the matter is already sub judice, having been duly challenged before a court of competent jurisdiction by me.
“However, the emerging development, as contained in the Governor’s media briefing of 17th February 2026 in Abakaliki, wherein the Governor, announced before the press that the restriction of movement had been adjusted to run from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., as against the period of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m, stands in stark contrast with the reality on ground.
“In truth, the hitherto needless and unwarranted restriction of movement, along with the varied violations of human rights, has continued to persist and is being actively enforced through a heavy military presence, in its original draconian form and pattern, without any tangible or practical relaxation whatsoever, up to the present date.
“Schools, hospitals, and markets remain shut, while social and economic activities continue to be severely stifled, substantially in the same manner as when the restriction was first imposed if not with increasing severity by the day.
“More perplexing still is the fact that concerned stakeholders who dared to inquire why the purported relaxation was not effected were bluntly rebuffed by the security operatives, who maintained that no formal communication had been received to that effect and insisted that, until an official directive was conveyed to them, the curfew would not be relaxed.
“By this development, the said press release is either a hoax or a deliberate decoy, intended to divert public attention from the ongoing, annihilating operations and unprecedented human rights violations in the Amasiri Communities, carried out solely to achieve a sinister objective rather than to genuinely address security concerns.
“Otherwise, one is compelled to question the reason behind the failure to relax the curfew, or the Governor’s refusal to communicate the purported relaxation to the troops illegally deployed on an operations that is bereft of legal justification.
“While these questions remain unanswered, I hereby urge the Governor of Ebonyi State to either ensure that his purported curfew relaxation is formally communicated to the troops unlawfully deployed in Amasiri, or to publicly acknowledge that the curfew remains in force in its original form—10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.—so as to curb or forestall a possible fallout of civilian and troops on already illegal operations. Let wise guidance direct all human actions.”
