TonyRazor
Obiano declares curfew as one killed,300 injured in communal clash

No fewer that than 300 farmers were reportedly injured in a clash between Umumbo and Omor communities in the Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State.

One person was also said to be killed while property worth millions of naira were destroyed following the clash.

It was not clear what prompted the recent conflict, our correspondent recalled that the two communities had over the years been involved in land disputes that had claimed several lives and property.

A source in the area who pleaded not to be named told our correspondent "300 farmers were injured in the clash while 50 persons are still missing. This is horrible."


The Anambra State government which confirmed the incident on Thursday in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba, vowed to deal decisively with those who masterminded the conflict.



Adinuba said security operatives had been directed to bring those involved in the clash to justice.

The statement read in part“The Anambra State government notes with profound sadness the conflict between the people of Umumbo and their neighbours in Omor community over land ownership which has in the last two days resulted in one confirmed fatality and the destruction of valuable assets in both places.
He said the state governor, Willie Obiano had imposed an indefinite curfew on the two communities from 6pm to 6am.

Adinuba added,“Security agents drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps have been drafted to the scene to stabilize the situation and maintain law and order, just as a curfew has been imposed in the two communities from 6pm to 6am.

“This conflict is a negation of the strenuous effort the government and people of Anambra State have been making in the past six years to make Anambra, not only the safest and most secure state in the federation, but also the most socially harmonious.

“Given that the state government considers the safety of the life and property of every Anambra person an article of faith, those responsible for the violence between the Omor and Umumbo communities will be made to feel the full weight of the law accordingly.

“The security agencies, including the Anambra Vigilante Group , are hereby directed to arrest everyone involved in the conflict and bring him or her to justice. The arrests and subsequent prosecution in the law court will be made regardless of the status of each person in society.

“The arrest and prosecution of those connected with the Umumbo-Omor crisis will serve as a lesson to other people who may wish to fan the embers of disunity and crisis in any other part of the state. The utterances and actions of these elements are inimical to the state government’s drive towards the rapid economic and social development of the state.

“The Anambra State government assures all Anambra people of its unwavering resolve to make our state the most peaceful in Nigeria and beyond. Though the Umumbo-Omor conflict is an isolated incident, it will attract a robust response from the government.

“No person can shed the blood of any Anambra person and expect to go scot-free because life is sacred.”