By Sharon Akuboh, Abuja
A Public Interest Lawyer, Maduabuchi O. Idam, has called on the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to urgently facilitate the immediate release of detained citizens of Amasiri, describing the move as more pressing than the recent restoration of the Amasiri Development Centre.
In a letter dated July 29, 2026, and addressed to the Governor, Idam acknowledged the government’s decision to restore the Amasiri Development Centre but maintained that genuine reconciliation and justice cannot be achieved while several Amasiri indigenes remain in correctional custody awaiting trial.
According to the lawyer, although the restoration of the Development Centre is a welcome development, the continued detention of Amasiri citizens has prolonged the community’s trauma, humiliation and loss of dignity following measures imposed by the state government over allegations the community has consistently denied.
He urged Governor Nwifuru to direct the Ebonyi State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to invoke the constitutional power of nolle prosequi to discontinue the criminal proceedings against the detainees, thereby securing their immediate release.
Idam argued that such an action would serve as a major step toward healing, restoring confidence in the justice system and reaffirming the administration’s commitment to fairness, equity and the rule of law.
The legal practitioner also expressed concern over a recent Ebonyi State Government statement suggesting that the people of Amasiri had been “forgiven” by a neighbouring community following the restoration of the Development Centre.
He described the statement as unfortunate, saying it could create the impression that the people of Amasiri had admitted collective wrongdoing, despite their consistent insistence on their innocence.
According to him, reconciliation should be built on justice, truth, mutual respect and equal treatment before the law rather than narratives capable of stigmatizing an entire community.
Idam further warned that portraying Amasiri in such a manner could encourage neighbouring communities to exploit what he described as the community’s vulnerable situation by attempting to encroach upon its ancestral lands.
While noting that the people of Amasiri have consistently sympathised with all victims of violence regardless of community, he stressed that they equally deserve compassion for the destruction, displacement and suffering they have endured.
He therefore appealed to Governor Nwifuru to demonstrate statesmanship by facilitating the lawful release of the detained citizens through the intervention of the Attorney-General, insisting that such a decision would strengthen public confidence in the administration of justice and reinforce the government’s commitment to reconciliation, constitutional rights and the dignity of every citizen of Ebonyi State.