Many residents are feared dead while several others have been abducted following a deadly attack on Okporojo Community in Oso Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The State Commissioner for Internal Security, Chief Etta Ude, confirmed the incident and said security had been reinforced in the affected area to prevent escalations.

It was gathered that the attack occurred on Thursday, when unidentified armed men stormed the community, shooting sporadically and setting houses ablaze.

Community sources claimed that at least four persons were beheaded during the assault, with the attackers reportedly taking away the severed heads.

Many other residents were said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries, while an unspecified number remain missing.

A viral video circulating on social media showed houses engulfed in flames as distressed residents cried out for help, appealing to the Ebonyi State Government and security agencies to urgently intervene.

Local sources linked the attack to a decades-long land dispute between Oso Edda in Edda Local Government Area and Amasiri in Afikpo Local Government Area of the state.

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has asked the National Industrial Court to commit striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to prison for alleged disobedience of a subsisting court order.‎‎

The workers resumed their strike despite a January 27 order by Justice

Subilim directing them to suspend industrial action pending determination of a suit filed by the Minister.‎‎

To enforce compliance, Wike’s legal team, led by Ogwu Onoja SAN, obtained Form 48 — a “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience of Court Order” — warning the workers they could face contempt proceedings and imprisonment.

The notice, dated January 29, was signed by the Registrar of the Industrial Court, Olajide Balogun.‎‎

Justice Subilim had earlier ruled that strikes must halt once disputes are referred to the Industrial Court, citing Section 18(1)(E) of the Trade Disputes Act.

He emphasized that public interest in maintaining industrial peace outweighs any inconvenience caused by suspending strikes.‎‎

Despite this, the workers continued their action, arguing they had filed an appeal against the ruling.

Wike’s counsel countered that only an express stay of execution could justify resuming the strike, insisting court orders must be obeyed.‎‎

The substantive matter has been adjourned to March 25, 2026.

The strike, which began January 19, has disrupted operations across FCTA Secretariat, departments, agencies, area councils, and parastatals.‎‎

The standoff now sets the stage for possible contempt proceedings, as the Industrial Court weighs enforcement of its authority against the workers’ defiance.

•Getty Images : A woman was crying during the public caning in Aceh

A couple in Indonesia has been caned 140 times for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol because it violates Sharia, or Islamic religious law.

The 21-year-old woman fainted after three female officers took turns striking her with a rattan cane, while she cried. After she collapsed, she was carried off the stage by female officers to an ambulance.

The couple were caned on Thursday along with four others, including an officer from the Islamic police force, who were all found guilty of violating Sharia.

Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in religiously conservative Aceh, although the practice has long drawn criticism from rights groups who say it’s cruel.

Under Aceh’s Islamic criminal code, sex outside marriage is punishable by 100 strokes of the cane, while consuming alcohol carries 40 strokes.