The Anambra State Government has ordered the immediate closure of Otuocha Market following an escalating communal clash between Aguleri and Umuoba Anam in Anambra East Local Government Area that has now left at least five people dead, several others injured and homes, shops and businesses destroyed.
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Four additional deaths were confirmed after an earlier casualty, bringing the reported death toll to five. Traditional rulers of the two communities subsequently said three of those killed were from Aguleri while two were from Umuoba Anam, with several injured persons receiving treatment.
The violence also left a trail of destruction across the area. Houses and shops were burnt, while a rice-processing facility and bags of rice were destroyed as the confrontation spread. Traders were seen attempting to recover what remained of their property, while some residents fled the affected areas.
The normally busy Otuocha-Umuoba Anam axis was reported to have become largely deserted as fear spread through the communities.
Deputy Governor Onyekachukwu Ibezim visited the troubled area alongside the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, and other government and security officials to assess the scale of the violence and direct measures aimed at restoring order.
Ibezim, who also chairs the Anambra State Boundary Committee, announced the suspension of commercial and other activities at Otuocha Market, saying the directive was issued on the instruction of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
The market is to remain closed while the state government investigates the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and determines further action.
“No community leader or local government chairman has the authority to determine boundaries between communities without the knowledge of the State Government,” Ibezim said.
“The State Boundary Committee is responsible for the demarcation and monumentation of boundaries within the state.”
The warning goes to the heart of the immediate dispute.
According to accounts from the affected communities, the latest confrontation erupted over an attempt by Aguleri residents to erect a signpost and install Closed Circuit Television cameras around the disputed market and boundary area.
The traditional rulers of Aguleri and Umuoba Anam, Igwe Michael Idigo and Igwe George Ekwealor, respectively, also attributed the immediate outbreak of violence to disagreement over the proposed signpost and security cameras.
Earlier accounts linked the tension to a longstanding land and boundary dispute between the neighbouring communities, which has periodically generated confrontation over the years.
What began as a disagreement over activity around the disputed area escalated into violence, with reports of gunfire, attacks and destruction of property.
Footage circulated online during the crisis showed burning buildings and armed individuals, while some recordings contained voices apparently urging violence. The circumstances and identities of those captured in the circulating footage have not been independently established.
Before the death toll rose to five, the Anambra State Police Command had confirmed one fatality and injuries and announced the deployment of additional personnel to the affected communities.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the deployment was aimed at restoring peace, safeguarding lives and property and preventing further escalation.
The Commissioner of Police later joined Ibezim and other officials on an assessment visit during which security agencies reviewed the destruction and measures required to stabilise the communities.
The government and police have urged traditional rulers, town unions, youth groups and other stakeholders on both sides to cooperate with ongoing peace efforts rather than resort to violence.
The crisis has also prompted restrictions at the local level. Anambra East Local Government authorities had earlier announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew covering Aguleri and Umuoba Anam, directing residents to remain indoors between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. until further notice as security agencies worked to contain the confrontation.
Both traditional rulers have appealed to their subjects to remain calm and allow the state government to resolve the underlying boundary question.
They also commended the government’s intervention, saying it helped prevent the confrontation from producing further casualties and destruction.
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