Umuoba Anam Community Cries Out Against Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu’s Reign of Terror
A press release issued by the Federated Association of Umuoba Anam Council has exposed a shocking tale of violence, intimidation, and land grabbing by the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community against their peaceful neighbors, the Umuoba Anam community, in Anambra State, Nigeria.
Despite a long history of peaceful coexistence, the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community has allegedly unleashed a campaign of terror against the Umuoba Anam people, resulting in the destruction of properties, loss of livelihoods, and even the brutal murder of three innocent Umuoba Anam sons.
The Umuoba Anam community has denied all allegations of violence and aggression, instead pointing to a pattern of provocative behavior by the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community. They claim that their neighbors have been trying to grab their land and disrupt their peaceful existence.
The dispute between the two communities dates back to 1910, with the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community allegedly encroaching on Umuoba Anam land and laying claim to their fishing pools. Despite numerous court victories, the Umuoba Anam community continues to face harassment and intimidation.
The Federated Association of Umuoba Anam Council has appealed to the Governor of Anambra State, the state government, and people of good conscience to intervene and bring an end to the suffering of the Umuoba Anam people.
We stand in solidarity with the Umuoba Anam community and demand justice for the victims of this senseless violence.
EXCERPT
FEDERATED ASSOCIATION OF UMUOBA ANAM COUNCIL
Otuocha Anambra East Local Government, Anambra State.Our Ref……… Your Ref……Date 31st January, 2025
PRESS RELEASE BY UMUOBA ANAM COMMUNITY ON THE PERSISTENT, BARBARIC AND UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON OUR COMMUNITY BY SOME GROUP OF MISCREANTS FROM EGBEAGU EZIAGULU – OTU AGULERI
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we stand before you today as representatives and leaders of Umuoba Anam and we wish to categorically state as follows:
That the Umuoba Anam Community has observed with grave concern the baseless allegations contained in the recent press statement issued by the Eziagulu-Otu Town Union, on the 28th day of January, 2025. Their claims are not only false but also a calculated attempt to divert attention from their own acts of aggression against the people of Umuoji Umuoba Anam.
The land in question, Omagu Umuoji, has been under the ownership and control of the Umuoji people since time immemorial. Contrary to the narrative presented by Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu people, the people of Umuoji have been peacefully farming, fishing, and utilizing this land for a long time now without interference until the most recent provocations by some micro miscreants from Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community led by one Mr Ejimofor (A. K. A. Okwuluoka)
Gentlemen of the press, please take note that before 1910, the people of Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu had never encroached on the land in issue, trespassed nor criminally harvested the Umuoji people fishing pools. However, the people of Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu started trespassing on our land, criminally harvesting from our Fishing pools and laying claims to some of the Fishing pools because one Ekweoba a native of Ebeagu Eziagulu-Otu married one of our daughter and the Fishing Pool named Mkpukulu was given to our daughter as a sendoff gift and Ikpa was also given to Ekweoba her husband to fish for only a year. It was after this gratuitous act by the people of Umuoji to their In – law that other Egbeagu Eziagulu – Otu people started trespassing, criminally harvesting and laying claims on some of the Umuoji fishing pools.
Particularly in 1939 at Umuleri Native Court, in Suit No 9/39 of 11/2/39, Egbeagu family of Eziagulu-Otu claimed ownership of several Umuoji fishing pools situated at Umuoji Farm land and in that case the court dismissed the claims of the people of the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu on the ground that ‘the Defendants (the Umuoji people) have been in full occupation of the land for over 60 years’. The records are there for verification. Again, we deny the allegations of violence, kidnapping, and arson against our sons as contained in their baseless press conference statement. These claims are designed to frame our peaceful community as aggressors. However, it is worthy of note to state here that the aggressors are not all the Egbeagu people but those criminal element from Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu that launched the unprovoked attacks on our community, including the destruction of our farmlands, fish ponds, and other valuable properties.
This group of miscreants has committed various atrocities against the people of Umuoji only to mention a few, this group from Egbeagu and other criminal gang from Eziagulu – Otu brutally murdered three of our sons namely, Sunday Okoye, Boniface Okechukwu and Okechukwu Akwoba.
The Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu people deliberately set ablaze Mr. Udoji Ekwenze’s vehicle, Umuoji Community Primary School, Bus Stops, they also went further to destroy medical materials for the construction of Omagu Umuoji Health Centre worth Millions of Naira. There are video recordings to prove same.
Gentlemen of the press, on January 25th, 2025, armed men from Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu with Ak-47 invaded Borrow Pit and Onumonu-Akpatieyi fishing pools belonging to Umuoji Umuoba Anam. They fired gunshots indiscriminately, endangering the lives of innocent people for more than two hours.
As if their heinous crimes above are not bad enough, on January 26th, 2025, these groups of miscreants from Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community brandishing Ak47 set ablaze properties within Omagu Umuoji, including a community school, houses and farm land.
The joint team of Nigerian Police and the Nigeria Army arrested some of these miscreants with AK47 whom are presently in detention at State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka. The video evidence of the said barbaric and despotic acts is all available and ready to be shown to the public.
It is a notorious fact that the people of Umuoba Anam are known to be peaceful in all their affairs with neighboring communities, hence the allegations made by the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu community are made to taint and destroy every good image of our community, and we will not sit back and allow them drag our names to the mud.
The good people of Anambra State, as we have stated earlier in this press statement that this criminal act has been on for some time now, it becomes patent to reproduce the advice of the divisional police officer on 29th January, 1969, as contained in file No 527/1/5, flowing from the review judgement delivered in 1949 by Mr. J. R. Duncan at the Native Court of Umuleri in Suit No 64/39;
DECISION “After considering all the review judgements relating to all the pools in dispute it was clear to me that all the actions of trespass and damages brought by Aguleri people were rejected.
I believe that the main reason why these cases could not succeed was because Aguleri people could not convince the reviewing court of their legal ownership or possession of the pools and it does not appear to me that any action for trespass or damages can succeed unless actual ownership or possession is proved. Aguleri people have not yet established legal ownership or possession of the pools except on the first three already admitted by Umuoba Anam people. I have no doubt in my mind that Umuoba Anam are in full possession of those pools and should be free to fish in them. I will therefore consider it as a breach of the peace if Aguleri people should enter into those pools and cause any disturbance.
As it has been established that Ikpa and Mkpukulu pools are owned by Aguleri people, Umuoba Anam people are barred from fishing in them, and they will be held responsible for any conduct that may likely lead to breach of peace as a result of their fishing in those pools.
In view of the present war situation in the country, I am appealing to both parties in the dispute to eschew any action likely to lead to any disclosure and violence by fishing in the pools which were not awarded legally to them by the Court or for which they have not established proper claim.”Finally, we wish to boldly state that these miscreants from Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu are known to be chronic land grabbers, violent in nature, war mongers and unsatisfactory vampires. It is also on record that these micro group of miscreants provoked war between the Eziagulu-Otu people and Ibaji people, between the Eziagulu-Otu people and the Odeke people.
The above incidents are verifiable and justify our position that these micro miscreants from Egbeagu Eziagulu – Otu are violent people, kidnappers and it conclusively established why they were brandishing prohibited arms Ak47 at will.With all said above, we appeal to the Governor of Anambra State, Anambra State Government and all the people of good conscience to call the Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu people to order without delay, the Egbeagu Eziagulu people are not the only family from Eziagulu Otu that the Umuoji people share common boundaries with. Eziagulu Otu is not the only community we have boundary with because we have boundary with Iyiora Anam people. This makes one to ask why is it always the Egbeagu People all the time?, from one war to another war. The answer is simple. The Egbeagu Eziagulu-Otu people allow some Micro criminal elements among them to control their Community and sell negative and false narrative to them.
The people of Umuoji Umuoba Anam don’t wish for war and we don’t want war either, however, let it be on record that the people of Umuoji, Umuoba Anam will not stand akimbo and watch this group of miscreants from Egbeagu Eziagulu Otu Aguleri perpetrate persistent and consistent acts of violence against us.
Signed:
FEDERATED ASSOCIATION OF UMUOBA ANAM COUNCIL
CHIEF S. N. OKOYE
(PRESIDENT)COMRADE CHIBUZOR MMEH
(SECRETARY)
