More than 150 houses have been destroyed, over 2,000 residents displaced, and 10 persons either killed or declared missing following a deadly communal clash between Umuoba Anam and Aguleri communities in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The scale of destruction was disclosed by the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Enugu Zonal Office, Mrs Priscilla Madukwe, during an impact assessment visit to the affected communities.
The communal crisis, which erupted last month, reportedly resulted in the destruction of residential buildings, shops, factories, automobiles and other valuable property belonging to residents of the warring communities, including non-indigenes living in the affected areas.
The extensive damage and humanitarian consequences of the conflict prompted the Federal Government, through NEMA, to dispatch an assessment team to the communities to ascertain the level of destruction and evaluate the humanitarian needs of the victims, with a view to providing possible relief assistance.
The assessment team, comprising officials of NEMA and the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), was led to the affected communities by the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Mr Ifeanyi Chinweze, alongside community leaders and security operatives.
Speaking during the exercise, Mrs Madukwe described the magnitude of destruction as unfortunate, noting that the agency would submit its findings to the Federal Government for consideration and possible intervention to assist the affected residents.
She expressed hope that the proposed assistance would help alleviate the suffering of the victims and enable them to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
The NEMA official, however, appealed to community leaders and other stakeholders in the affected areas to intensify efforts towards resolving the lingering differences responsible for the crisis and ensure that such an unfortunate incident did not happen again.
She stressed the need for peace and collective commitment to preventing further violence, particularly given the enormous human and material losses already recorded.
In his remarks, the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Mr Chinweze, assured that efforts were being made to resolve the disagreements that triggered the communal disturbance and restore lasting peace to the affected communities.
Chinweze appealed to residents to embrace peace, dialogue and mutual understanding, stressing that the curfew imposed in the area had contributed significantly to restoring calm and preventing further escalation of the crisis.
He commended the Federal Government for sending the assessment team to evaluate the situation and expressed optimism that the visit would lead to the provision of relief materials and other forms of assistance to cushion the hardship being experienced by the displaced residents.
Also speaking during an interview, the Head of Administration of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mrs Ndidi Omega, disclosed that the state government had constituted a committee to investigate the crisis, identify its underlying causes and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
She explained that the committee would also make recommendations on appropriate forms of assistance for the victims, particularly those who had lost their homes, businesses and other means of livelihood as a result of the communal conflict.
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