Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
Sixteen years after the end of the famous Aguleri, Umuleri inter-communal crisis that claimed lives and near total destruction of the two communities of Anambra East local government of Anambra State, signs of a possible renewal of hostilities are emerging.
Consequently, one of the communities, Umueri, has called on the state’s Police Commissioner, Mr. Baba Umar, to act fast and avert an imminent clash between the two neighbouring communities.
In the last three years, the communities had been having one issue after another mostly bordering on ownership of land in which the Police authority has intervened several times.
But the matter became serious, last week, when Umueri people claimed that some people from Aguleri town were trespassing on their land with impunity and removing sign posts hoisted on the said land and erecting structures in breach of the Commissioner of Police’s directive that all should stay away from the said land.
Worried by the mounting tension in the area, the Umueri General Assembly (UGA) through its President General, Chief Pius Okonkwo and Secretary General, Mr. Samuel Mbukwesili, wrote a petition to the Police Commissioner asking for immediate action to avert trouble.
Speaking to Daily Sun, on Wednesday, in respect to the petition, Chief Okonkwo said, “The latest development on the petition before you is that instead of Police going to arrest those two guys, they turned around to begin to arrest our people and as am speaking to you, one Chief Mike was arrested.
But in a swift reaction, same Wednesday, President General of Aguleri Town Union, Mr. Mike Ejoor, said his community has no issue with Umueri, as what might be happening in the area could be land dispute between families.
The Umueri people’s petition to the state Police boss which was signed by Okonkwo and Mbukwesili, reads in parts, “May it be recalled that we were invited to your office on the 23rd of March, 2018 over the trespass on Aguakor UmueriLan by Aguleri people of Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“And in submission and respect to your office, we honoured the invitation. At the meeting, which was attended by representatives of both communities, you directed all the newly erected sign posts on the said land be removed.
“Contrary to your directives, the Aguleri people reluctantly removed the sign posts on 25th day of March, 2018. In defiance to your directives and prior to their removal of the sign posts, the Aguleri people through Mr. Godwin Nwajekwu (Chairman Umuriabo Eziagulu Aguleri) and Mr. Chukwudi Nwakasi with their armed thugs commenced the erection of two permanent structures on the land and the structures are being erected in the night and they are heavily armed in other to instigate and provoke inter-communal crises between the two communities.
“Attached for your perusal are copies of photographs of the buildings erected by the Aguleri people through Mr. Godwin Nwajekwu (Chairman Umuriabo Eziagulu Aguleri) and Mr. Chukwudi Nwakasi with their armed thugs on the said land in the night on the 24th and 25th days of March, 2018.
“Suffice it to bring to your notice that these illegal activities by the Aguleri people through Mr. Godwin Nwajekwu (Chairman Umuriabo Eziagulu Aguleri) and Mr. Chukwudi Nwakasi with their armed thugs pose serious threat to the lives of Umueri indigenes and, if not stopped, may breach public peace and cause inter-communal crises between the two communities. We shall, at your request, make all the necessary documents including government letters and court judgments available for your perusal.
“We, therefore, on behalf of ourselves and the peace loving Umueri indigenes, implore you to use your good office to ensure that; (i) They remove the two structures erected by them in defiance to your instructions; (ii) To desist from embarking on further activities on the said land; (iii) To checkmate Mr. Godwin Nwajekwu (Chairman Umuriabo Eziagulu Aguleri) and Mr. Chukwudi Nwakasi with their armed thugs and bring them to book; (iv) That those Umueri sign posts removed and seized by the Aguleri through Mr. Godwin Nwajekwu (Chairman Umuriabo Eziagulu Aguleri) and Mr. Chukwudi Nwakasi with their armed thugs be returned to us and (v) To assign a police patrol team to the area for maintenance of law and order.”
However, the Aguleri PG, Mr. Ejoor, insisting there was no refit between them said, “ Since the end of the 1999 communal crisis, we have not had any crisis with Umueri.
Aguleri, as a community, has no common land, but it is not unusual for families that have common boundary to have misunderstanding over land.
“For instance, my family has a boundary with Umueri and if there is any land dispute in the area, it is between the two families.”