The battle of Otuocha: Aguleri and Umuleri community position for war

The long standing peace arrangement that united the people of Aguleri and Umuleri during Obasanjo’s administration has collapsed and once again, both communities are gearing up for another war. War which the people of Umuleri community has stated will be more fierce than anything ever experience in history if the government don’t wade in.

For the sake of many who were not born then, let me briefly re-present the history of Aguleri and Umuleri, for a proper linkage to the present scenario:

The case of Aguleri and Umuleri was first heard in 1933 when leaders of Umuleri community sued Aguleri over the land but lost. Then the court held that Umuleri has nothing left to justify the court giving them declaration of the title. In 1935, the people of Aguleri community sensing the lost of case, sued Umuleri but also lost on the grounds that they too could not establish exclusive ownership of the land.

In 1964, the Umuleri community sued the Anambra County Council to name Otuocha the headquarter from “Otuocha Aguleri” to Otuocha, and this became the reason for crisis in 1964 in which so many lives were lost and properties destroyed. The legal battle between both community was interupted by the Civil War. However, immediately after the civil war, the East Central State Government changed the name to Otuocha since it still remains part of Aguleri.

In 1975, the Umuleri community appealed to supreme court stating that neither community should have exclusivity over Otuocha, but the lead Judge Obaseki remained unanimous in his judgement, that Otuocha was a vacant piece of land but it was the people of Aguleri who first came into the land and has lived for at least 100 years before the people of Umuleri infiltrated.

In 1995, the people of Umuleri invaded Aguleri and started killing, maiming and destroying properties belonging to Aguleri. The crisis was brought to an end by the Obasanjo administration, when he went to the effected communities and invited leaders of the three(3) community(Umuoba Anam inclusive) to the state house for a meeting.
It was during this time that an agreement was reached, to settle out of court. A peace committee was formed to see to an amicable settlement. It was however gathered that in 2010 the people of Umuleri pulled out of the committee and today, the war that started many years ago is receiving a sound of awakening.

History has it that the battle was so fierce that those living in both community go to bed with axe and cutlass in their hands, in case of sudden attack. Women and children were sent to sleep/hide in guarded enclaves, people don’t light-up their houses to avoid being noticed, families were forced to self-declare indefinite curfew, nobody knows when their opponent will attack etc. Is this the sort of life these people want to go into again?

The question in the mind of many till date is, which of the community first settled in the land, and which of them has superior claim over the territory called Otuocha?