Following an attack that was purportedly carried out by soldiers in retaliation for a missing comrade, the conflict between the Anaku and Omor communities in the Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State has taken a new dimension, ANAMBRA PEOPLE reports.
Communities in Anaku and Omor have been involved in a land dispute. Six individuals are said to have been killed and six more kidnapped in Omor, which sparked a new outbreak of the crisis the same week. Many of the residents had already left the area by the time journalists arrived on Tuesday out of fear for their lives.
Sources claim that one of the soldiers stationed in the region went missing, forcing his fellow soldiers to initiate a retaliation, despite the fact that it was unclear how soldiers became involved in the most recent issue. On Friday, a source in Anaku claimed that the neighborhood was covered in bodies and that several homes had been set on fire. Since the start of the week, five trucks carrying soldiers had been monitoring the neighborhood, he observed.
According to the source, the most recent arson in Anaku touched nearly every family, and as of Thursday, many residents were still packing their belongings for departure. Many people fled to Onitsha, while others escaped to Nando in the Anambra East LGA and Awkuzu in Oyi LGA. In those communities, a large number of our people are currently gathered in the public spaces.
“We believed the soldiers were here to establish peace, but instead, we discovered them destroying our homes and other things. In the neighborhood, every man has left. We simply enter the village to gather cassava before leaving. “In actuality, a number of the homes are still on fire, and numerous individuals are packing the furniture they can salvage. Fear is everywhere. The entire neighborhood is empty. Shrines were not spared either, since many of them were destroyed by fire. After being shot, a woman’s body was taken into her home and set on fire. As of yesterday, she was still on fire.”Egwuatu Nonyelu, an 80-year-old blind man who worked as a carpenter before being blind, was shot in his home and set on fire. The community’s center for skill development and all of its equipment were not spared either.
“I assume that the military were brought by our neighboring community, which has been having a land issue with us,” said Mr. Titus Izuogu, another member of the community.
DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesman, stated that as it was a military matter, he was unable to comment.Talking to the military spokesman was unsuccessful since he would not take his calls or return messages left on his phone line.
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