Anambra’s Targeted Slaughter: 13 Ebonyi Lives—One per LGA—Point to a Sinister Ethnic Agenda

When the chilling news broke that 13 innocent Ebonyi indigenes were butchered in Anambra State, many struggled to grasp the scale of the horror. But as the details emerged—one victim each hailing from the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi—the contours of something far darker than random violence began to take shape. This was no accidental massacre. This was a message: a cruel, deliberate assault on the collective identity of an entire people.

It is impossible to ignore the symbolism. Thirteen lives—each representing a distinct part of Ebonyi—erased in a single wave of bloodshed. Are we to believe this was coincidental? Are we to look the other way as if this were some ordinary act of criminality? No thinking person should. The pattern is too precise to dismiss as happenstance.

This attack reeks of orchestration—of a sinister strategy to humiliate and cow the proud sons and daughters of Ebonyi State. It smacks of an attempt to fracture our resolve, to send our communities scurrying into fear and silence. But those behind this calculated carnage should know that they have failed before they even began. Ebonyi has never been a people to kneel before terror.

Governor Francis Nwifuru’s condemnation is an important first step. His vow to secure justice is necessary. But words alone will not suffice. Ebonyi people everywhere must demand a full accounting: Who planned this atrocity? Who funded it? Who in Anambra’s corridors of power looked the other way? And why has such an outrage not ignited national alarm?

We must be clear: If 13 indigenes of any other state were executed systematically across such geographic breadth, Nigeria’s security architecture would be in overdrive. Television anchors would be broadcasting wall-to-wall coverage. Federal agencies would swarm the crime scenes. Yet here we are, watching tepid reactions and evasive statements. This cannot stand.

To the perpetrators, know this: You have not cowed Ebonyi. You have only awakened a united front determined to expose your sponsors and bring your evil enterprise crashing down. To the leaders of Anambra State, understand this: If you fail to root out those who carried out this monstrous act on your soil, history will indict you as enablers of ethnic violence.

It is time for Ebonyi communities across Nigeria to speak with one voice. We must demand an independent investigation—transparent, credible, and unconstrained by political calculation. We must insist on decisive arrests and prosecutions, not press conferences and half-hearted condolences. The blood of these 13 martyrs cries out for justice.

Let it be known: Ebonyi is watching. Nigeria is watching. And no amount of spin will erase the truth—that this was a targeted slaughter designed to send a message. But our answer is simple and unshakable: We will not be broken. We will not forget. And we will not rest until every conspirator faces the full measure of accountability.