PAMELA EBOH, Awka
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has declared no fewer than 150 houses destroyed, over 2,000 residents displaced, and 10 persons either killed or missing following the deadly communal clash that engulfed Umuoba Anam and Aguleri communities in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State in October, 2026.
This declaration was made by the Head of Operations of the Enugu Zonal Office, Mrs Priscilla Madukwe, during an impact assessment visit of the affected communities over the weekend.
The communal crisis is saud to have resulted in the destruction of properties wirth millions of naira, residential buildings, shops, factories, automobiles and other valuable property belonging to residents of the warring communities, as well as non-indigenes living in the affected areas.
The visit according to the NEMA officials was ochestrated by the Federal Government, through NEMA, for on the ground assessment of the level of destruction and evaluation of the humanitarian needs of the victims, with a view to providing possible relief assistance.
The assessment team, comprising officials of NEMA and the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), was led to the affected communities by the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Mr Ifeanyi Chinweze, alongside community leaders and security operatives.
Speaking during the exercise, the Enugu State NEMA boss, Mrs Madukwe described the magnitude of destruction as unfortunate, saying that the agency would submit its findings to the Federal Government for consideration and possible intervention to assist the affected residents.
She expressed hope that the proposed assistance would help alleviate the suffering of the victims and enable them return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
While appealing to community leaders and other stakeholders in the affected areas to intensify efforts towards resolving the lingering differences responsible for the crisis and ensure that such an unfortunate incident does not re-occur, Madukwe said, “There is need for peace and collective commitment to preventing further violence, particularly given the enormous human and material losses already recorded.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Mr Chinweze, gave assurance that efforts were being made to resolve the disagreements that triggered the communal disturbance and restore lasting peace to the affected communities.
He appealed to residents to embrace peace, dialogue and mutual understanding, noting that the curfew imposed in the area had contributed significantly to restoring calm and preventing further escalation of the crisis.
The Mayor further hailed the Federal Government for sending the assessment team to evaluate the situation and expressed optimism that the visit would lead to the provision of relief materials and other forms of assistance to cushion the hardship being experienced by the displaced residents.
On her part, the Head of Administration of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mrs Ndidi Omega, disclosed that the state government had constituted a committee to investigate the crisis, identify its underlying causes and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
She assured that the committee would make recommendations on appropriate forms of assistance for the victims, particularly those who had lost their homes, businesses and other means of livelihood as a result of the communal conflict.
