Oruku, a community in Enugu State, Nigeria, is currently gripped by palpable tension as warmongers within the community seek to instigate another communal war, this time with the neighboring Umu-Ode community in Nkanu East Local Government Area.
Reports indicate that these warmongers from Oruku have resorted to violent actions on multiple occasions, venturing to the boundary with Umu-Ode and firing gunshots sporadically for extended periods. This ongoing conflict stems from a partitioning of the community, with a peace deal brokered by the Enugu State government favoring Oruku by a 70:30 percent ratio.
However, supporters of this peace deal have faced grave consequences. Members of the Oruku community who supported the government’s initiative have had their houses looted and set ablaze by these warmongers. Tragically, several leaders who backed the peace deal, including their traditional ruler, Late Igwe Chidiebere Emmanuel Mbah, the President General of the Community, and the head of the Community Vigilantes, have been killed.
Assassins Kills Community Leader In Enugu
The situation has escalated to the point where the warmongers within Oruku have procured and delivered 20 AK-47 rifles, in addition to retaining several firearms, including a machine gun from previous conflicts, which they have refused to surrender to the police despite previous peace agreements reached in 2017.
Mr. Agozi Ani, one of the victims of the destruction within the community, expressed his anguish over the situation. He lamented that those who supported the government’s peace deal and survived have been banned from returning to the community. Ani emphasized that their crime was supporting the former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s peace initiative for Oruku-Umu-Ode conflicts.
Despite their efforts to restore peace based on promises from the former governor, these supporters now find themselves bearing the brunt of the conflict. Ani revealed that their homes had been destroyed, houses demolished, and the materials sold as scraps. He also noted that heavily armed individuals, equipped with approximately 20 AK-47 rifles, were currently ruling the village.
The frustrated victim pointed out that those arrested for the arson and murders were subsequently released by the former Governor Ugwuanyi and his Attorney General, leaving them feeling betrayed and abandoned by the government they had supported.
Efforts to obtain a statement from the Enugu State Police Command proved unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, could not be reached.
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