Communal clash: Anambra town littered with dead bodies….
…over 500 houses burnt
By Vincent Ujumadu
ANAKU Town in Ayamelum local government area of Anambra State is now littered with corpses, many of them still burning, after an attack allegedly carried out by soldiers in revenge of their missing colleague.
Over 500 houses were either set ablaze, or had their glass windows and doors smashed.
Anaku and its neighbouring Omor community have been having protracted land dispute which had defied all efforts by government to resolve.
It was not clear how soldiers got involved in the latest clash, although Saturday Vanguard gathered that one of the soldiers sent there to make peace got missing, prompting his colleagues to descend heavily on the community.
Saturday Vanguard saw five trucks with soldiers patrolling the area and their presence scared the few people remaining in the community who took to their heels on sighting them.
In fact what happened in the area on Wednesday had made the famous Aguleri- Umuleri war between 2000 and 2002 look like a child’s play as there is hardly a family that is not affected in the latest arson in Anaku.
As at yesterday, many people were still packing their things out of the town and relocating to other communities.
The actual number of the casualties is yet to be ascertained because the community is deserted, However, eye witnesses narrated their experiences.
One of the youths who braved the situation to remain in the community said: “Onuorah Akunesi was dragged out of his house and the house set at ablaze. He is still missing. Anaku Town Hall was also burnt. The entire community had fled to Nando in Anambra East LGA, Awkuzu in Oyi LGA, while many ran to Onitsha.. Many of our people are now hanging around community squares in those communities.
“We thought the soldiers came to make peace, but we found them burning our houses and property. All the men in the community have fled. We just come into the village to harvest cassava and go back. “
There’s hardly a family that was not affected. When Saturday Vanguard visited the area, some of the houses were still burning and many people were seen packing their household property they could salvage. There was fear everywhere. The entire community was completely deserted. Shrines were also not spared as many of them were burnt.
Mrs. Chidozie Ikpo was shot and her body brought into her house and set ablaze. She was still burning as at yesterday.
An 80 year old blind man, Egwuatu Nonyelu, who was a carpenter before he lost his sight was shot in his house and set ablaze.
Ojadi Blessing Ifeoma, a community leader was crying uncontrollably as she took Saturday Vanguard to the community’s skill acquisition center which was razed with all the equipment contained therein. .
She said: “We have issues with Omor people and surprisingly, the Army came here and started burning houses and property. This skills acquisition centre was established and equipped by the wife of former Governor Willie Obiano, Ebelechukwu Obiano. See how the magnificent building was razed down. As it stands the training in the centre has stopped.
“Twenty sewing machines, 60 computers, many hairdressing equipment, soap making machines, and confectionery making machines were reduced to ashes.
“The community has been deserted and soldiers are still patrolling the area.Houses that were not burnt had their glass windows smashed. A woman who recently packed into her newly completed house had her house and her property burnt”.
Mr. Titus Amamchukwu Izuogu said the arsonists asked about his children and when he told them that they were not living in the village, they ordered him out of the house and in his presence, they set it ablaze after searching all the rooms in the house
He said: “I suspect that the soldiers were brought by our neighboring community, Omor, which has been having land dispute with us.
“Before the soldiers came, we had a confrontation with Omor people and we pushed them to our boundary. The next thing was that the soldiers came fully armed.
“We thought they came to make peace, not knowing they came to fight us. All the houses in Umerah, Ikenga and Umuri villages were burnt. Three people in my village were killed during the mayhem. The Anaku – Omor land dispute has lasted for decades and after every resolution, our neighbours refused to keep to the terms of the agreement.
“The statement I made on this matter at zone 13 Police, Ukpo is still there when we were arrested. The way Omor people are fighting us is the way they are fighting their other neighbours in Igbakwu, Umumbo and Anaku.
“Although government intervened and resolved the land dispute, Omor people have been removing the beacons put by the government. They alleged that our shrines are too powerful and the soldiers set most of them ablaze. Peace can only return if our people agree to the demarcation government has made.
“I am now a refugee. This wrapper I am tying is the only cloth I have because all my clothes were burnt when my house was set ablaze.
Rev. Canon Sunday Udegbunam, parish priest of St. John’s Anglican Parish, Anaku said he was still in shock after witnessing the attack.
The cleric said: “It was on Wednesday that soldiers started burning the whole town and our women ministry, with all the property in it, was burnt. It was the grace of God that the church building was spared.
“I heard that their grievance was that one of their colleagues was shot during the Anaku-Omor clash and that Anaku people must produce the corpse of the missing soldier.“Since then, the entire community has been on fire as the soldiers started burning houses. Invariably the soldiers came to make peace, but along the line, the killing and burning started. Over N50m property of the church was destroyed, while others were carted away.”
At a popular entry in Anaku town, the warehouse filled with drinks and water was burnt and looted. The owner, Monica Chukwuemeka said twenty bags of rice meant for planting later in the year were set ablaze. In fact, the bags of rice were still burning when Saturday Vanguard visited the area. “I saw the soldiers when they were coming and we fled to Aguleri, only to come back to see that my shop and warehouse had been burnt, Chukwuemeka said.
