Two young men were allegedly shot dead by soldiers attached to a mining company at Ihetutu, Ishiagu, in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on Sunday, October 18, 2026, after they reportedly refused to give money to the security personnel.

The victims were identified as Chibuike Okoro (also reported as Chibuike Elema), 18, and Obinna Joshua, 19, both from the Ihe Autonomous Community.

According to accounts from residents and the father of one of the victims, the youths were returning from work at a mining site operated by Palladium Mining Company when soldiers stationed at the facility demanded money from them.

“My son was called from the house this morning to come and join them for Sunday work. While coming back along the road, according to people who witnessed what happened, the soldiers attached to a mining company called Palladium asked them to settle them,” said Donatus Okoro, father of Chibuike. “But they told the soldiers that they were not with anything. The soldiers raised their guns and shot them in the head”.

The killing sparked outrage in the community, with residents, women and community leaders demanding a thorough investigation and an end to what they described as the inhumane treatment of their children by the mining company and its security personnel.

Prince Fabian Chukwu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ihetutu Community Development Union, condemned the incident, insisting that even if the youths were suspected of an offence, they should have been arrested and handed over to the police rather than killed.

“We are not happy. For a miner working in our community to authorise security personnel to kill our youths is something we cannot accept,” Chukwu said. “Even if the youths had come to take anything from the company, the appropriate thing would have been to arrest them and hand them over to the police, not to kill them”.

The second victim, Obinna Joshua, was the son of Joshua Akandu, the serving councillor representing Ihetutu Ward in Ivo LGA, and a second-year undergraduate student.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the Ebonyi State Command, Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the incident, stating that the command had deployed officers and men to the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The Commander of Nkwoagu Military Cantonment, Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Chielo, said he had visited the scene and appealed to the bereaved families to remain calm and await the outcome of the investigation. A military officer who identified himself as Captain Abdullahi reportedly told the community that the military police would investigate the matter and arrest any soldiers involved.

Community leaders said Palladium Mining Company had operated in the area for about five years, initially as a technical partner to another mining firm before taking over operations at the site. The company is also referred to as Ambertone Logistics Ltd in some reports.

The Ebonyi State Government has not yet issued a formal statement on the incident. Residents are demanding that the government review the operations of mining companies in the area and the deployment of soldiers to their communities.