Soludo Sets Up Inquiry Into Aguleri-Umuoba Anam Crisis

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the longstanding grievances behind the violent dispute between Aguleri and Umuoba Anam communities.

The commission will examine historical complaints, petitions and other issues connected to the crisis and is expected to submit its report within four months.

The names of the chairman and other members of the commission have not yet been made public by the state government.

Soludo announced the inquiry after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting at the Light House in Awka.

The meeting brought together traditional rulers, Presidents-General and community leaders from Aguleri, Umuoba Anam, Umueri and the wider Anam clan.

Traditional rulers from Anambra South and Central, the Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council and senior government officials also attended.

The meeting followed renewed violence in the area, with several deaths and widespread destruction of property reported.

Soludo said he was deeply pained by the loss of innocent lives, including that of a minor.

He also condemned the destruction of property and the desecration of the Idigo Palace, describing the development as an affront to the values of Ndi Anambra.

“No community has the right to take lives or resort to self-help. Government will not tolerate any further breakdown of law and order in that area,” Soludo said.

As part of the resolutions, both sides agreed to an immediate and total cessation of hostilities.

The governor directed security agencies to maintain a full, round-the-clock presence in the affected communities to enforce the ceasefire.

He ordered that everyone involved in the killings and destruction be identified, arrested and prosecuted according to law.

Soludo also urged traditional rulers and Presidents-General to take greater responsibility for preventing communal disputes from escalating into violence.

He said community leaders must be more proactive, responsive and responsible in managing conflicts.

The governor said the state government would assist in rebuilding the destroyed Idigo Palace.

“This palace is not just a building; it is a symbol of our heritage, our identity, and our traditional authority. Its destruction is an attack on Ndi Anambra itself,” he said.

The commission is expected to examine the historical complaints and grievances that have sustained the dispute.

It will have four months to complete its work and submit its recommendations.

The latest violence reportedly left at least five people dead, while houses, shops, a rice-processing facility and other property were destroyed.

The state government also ordered the closure of Otuocha Market following the renewed violence.

The conflict has a longer history, with boundary and land-related disagreements repeatedly bringing the neighbouring communities into confrontation.

In February 2025, the Anambra State Boundary Committee intervened in a related dispute involving Umuoba Anam and Eziagulu-Otu Aguleri.

The committee, chaired by Deputy Governor Dr Onyeka Ibezim, asked the communities to present evidence concerning their claims and urged them to pursue a peaceful resolution.

The earlier intervention also exposed differing accounts over the origin of the dispute, including disagreements involving land, fishing and access routes.

At the latest peace meeting, Igwe Michael Idigo and community leader Hon. Fidel Okafor condemned the violence and called for an immediate end to hostilities.

They also demanded justice over the killing of a minor and an unarmed Umuoba Anam man, as well as the retaliatory destruction of the Idigo Palace.

Retired Justice Charles C. Okaa, who attended as an observer for Umueri, called for restraint.

He urged the state government to enforce the 1982 Supreme Court judgment relating to boundary matters between Umueri and Aguleri.

Soludo said his administration would pursue the matter with fairness and firmness.

“Government will be fair, firm, and just. We will do everything to ensure lasting peace returns,” he said.