An interest group, the Effium Rescue Mission Group (ERMG), has condemned Ebonyi State's enactment of Law No. 004 of 2025, which it says erases 172 indigenous Effium villages in Ohaukwu local government area. The group described the law as enabling state-backed dispossession and cultural erasure of Effium natives. It argues the legislation creates new autonomous communities—Alioma and Ezekuna Alioma—for Ezza settlers while replacing long-standing Effium village names and landmarks. ERMG claims this undermines ancestral identities and legitimizes territorial dispossession under state law.
The group rejected any use of government machinery to rewrite Effium's history and heritage for the benefit of settlers. Emmanuel Acha, a human rights activist speaking for ERMG, stated, "No government has the moral or legal authority to erase the ancient identity, ancestral landmarks, and native villages of the Effium people simply to advance the political interests of settlers." He described the law as enabling state-backed cultural erasure and territorial manipulation against an indigenous people with no other ancestral homeland.
Acha affirmed that the Effium people would challenge the law through all lawful means, including court litigation, national advocacy, and engagement with international human rights bodies. He emphasized that historical records, customary institutions, and past inquiry findings recognize Effium as indigenous and Ezza occupants as settlers. "True peace comes through justice, truth, and mutual respect — not through the political rewriting of native history," he said.
ERMG has called on the Ebonyi State Government to suspend implementation of the contested provisions. It also urged civil society, human rights institutions, and international observers to monitor the situation. Traditional institutions were asked to resist efforts to erase indigenous identities for political convenience. The group appealed to the judiciary to uphold constitutional protections on cultural identity, fair hearing, and property rights.
Acha condemns state-backed erasure of Effium villages while calling for legal action, yet relies on the same state institutions to deliver justice. The Effium people face a contradiction: challenging a law they say weaponizes governance, but seeking remedy from branches of that same government. If the state can erase 172 villages by law, its courts and agencies may be equally capable of dismissing the challenge. This leaves Effium's fight for identity dependent on institutions already implicated in its erasure.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
