Aguleri-Umuoba Anam Crisis: 150 Houses Razed, 2,000 Displaced, 10 Feared Dead or Missing – NEMA

By Praise Chinecherem

No fewer than 150 houses were destroyed, more than 2,000 people displaced and 10 persons killed or declared missing following a communal clash between two villages in Umuoba Anam and Aguleri communities in Anambra State.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disclosed this during an assessment visit to the affected communities, where several houses, shops, factories, vehicles and other properties belonging to residents, including non-indigenes, were destroyed.

The violent confrontation, which occurred last month, left parts of the communities devastated, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.

The scale of destruction prompted the Federal Government, through NEMA, to dispatch an assessment team to evaluate the extent of the damage and identify the immediate needs of the affected residents.

The team, comprising officials of NEMA and the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), was led through the affected communities by the Chairman of Anambra East Local Government Area, Mr Ifeanyi Chinweze, alongside community leaders and security operatives.

Speaking during the assessment exercise, the Head of Operations, NEMA Enugu Zonal Office, Mrs Priscilla Madukwe, described the level of destruction as unfortunate.

She urged community leaders, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to intensify efforts towards resolving the dispute and preventing a recurrence.

Madukwe assured the victims that the agency would submit its assessment findings to the Federal Government for consideration and possible intervention.

She said the intervention was aimed at facilitating relief support and helping displaced residents return to their homes.

In his remarks, Chinweze disclosed that efforts were ongoing to address the underlying causes of the crisis, appealing to the warring communities to embrace peace and dialogue.

He noted that the curfew imposed following the violence had helped restore calm, while commending the Federal Government for sending an assessment team to evaluate the situation.

The council chairman expressed optimism that the visit would translate into meaningful relief for the affected residents and help ease the hardship caused by the violence.

Also speaking, the Head of Administration of SEMA, Mrs Ndidi Omega, disclosed that the Anambra State Government had constituted a committee to investigate the crisis, recommend measures to prevent future occurrences and identify possible areas of assistance for victims.

Meanwhile, the affected communities have remained largely deserted more than a month after the incident, with security personnel still stationed in the area to maintain peace and order.

The assessment visit is expected to provide the Federal Government with a clearer picture of the humanitarian impact of the violence and guide decisions on possible relief interventions.

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