Anambra Govt Suspends Activities at Otuocha Market After Aguleri-Umuoba-Anam Crisis
Gov Soludo
The Anambra State Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all economic and other activities at Otuocha Market following a dispute between the Aguleri and Umuoba-Anam communities that claimed five lives.
Deputy Governor of Anambra State and Chairman of the Anambra State Boundary Committee, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, gave the directive during a visit to the area to assess the damage caused by the crisis.
Dr Ibezim said he was acting on the directive of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who ordered the state government to intervene in the situation.
He warned that no activity would be allowed in the market until the government completes the necessary investigations and takes appropriate action against those responsible for the incident.
The Deputy Governor stressed that no community leader or local government chairman has the authority to determine boundaries between communities without the knowledge of the state government.
He explained that the Anambra State Boundary Committee is solely responsible for the demarcation of boundaries between communities within the state.
In separate interviews, the Traditional Ruler of Aguleri, Igwe Michael Idigo, and his Umuoba-Anam counterpart, Igwe George Ekwealor, explained that the crisis erupted when some Aguleri indigenes attempted to mount a signpost and security cameras in the market area.
They disclosed that, apart from the five deaths recorded during the crisis, several other persons were hospitalised, while valuable property worth millions of naira was destroyed.
The traditional rulers thanked the Anambra State Government for its swift intervention, which they said helped to prevent further casualties and destruction.
Dr Ibezim was accompanied to the scene by the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr Nnanna Oji, and other government officials.
Many houses and shops, as well as a rice-processing factory containing several bags of rice, were destroyed during the incident.
