Ikolo community in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State has appealed to the state government to come to their aid following an alleged invasion and killing of some natives of the community by their neighbouring Aku community, also in Igbo-Etiti.
The President General of Ikolo community, Chief Jude Okike Odo, told newsmen on Monday in Enugu that media reports claiming that his community attacked Aku community, resulting in some casualties a few days ago, were false.
He said the problem began after some natives of Aku reportedly missed after visiting a native doctor at Ikolo. In his words, “There was an allegation against one Chibueze Anidobi, a herbalist from Ikolo, by some people from Aku. It was alleged that three persons from Aku, who claimed to have gone to Chibueze’s house to get medicine to treat their sick relative, could not be found since August 2, 2024 after their trip to his house.
“It was reported to Ogbede Police Station, and Anidobi was detained. To exonerate himself from the police, the herbalist paid N300,000 to Ogbede Police Station to track the phone numbers of the missing persons.
“While the tracking was ongoing, some youths from Aku invaded Ogbede Police Station, insisting that Chibueze be handed over to them. The police refused. Aku people, with anger, invaded Ikolo, killing one Mmesoma Omeke, who was at her uncle’s house. She was shot and killed.
“The matter was reported to the commissioner of police. The divisional police officer, when contacted, told us that he sent some men, but they were waiting for reinforcement because of the large crowd.”
While attributing the cause to a land dispute, the community leader added that the matter had been reported to the state government. He said, “The deputy governor intervened, but they are yet to come to demarcate the land as they promised. This killing is getting too much. Our lives are in danger.
“On March 25th of this year, one Felix Odo, from Ikolo, was killed by this same group. On May 18, Maduabuchi Ude was shot and killed at Amete. Amaka Ezugwu was shot and is currently receiving treatment. The state should rescue us. Aku people are larger than we are. They want to extinct us. They should come before it is too late.”
He claimed that the Ikolo community had never initiated attacks against the Aku community, adding that the two communities were peaceful and inter-marrying until the land dispute erupted.
“It is unfortunate that Aku youths could not wait for the police to conclude their investigations into the matter before resorting to attacking us,” he said, adding that, “They are more than us, wealthier; we need protection otherwise the Ikolo we see today might be no more in the near future.”
In contrast, stakeholders of Aku, comprising Aku General Assembly (AGA), Aku Welfare Association Federated (AWAF), Aku-Diewa Lawyers Forum (ADLAF), National, and Aku Youth General Assembly, in a press briefing, weekend, had called on security agencies to rescue their people from the hands of Ikolo people.
The chairman of AGA, Engr Innocent Okechukwu Dioke, represented by the National Chairman of ADLAF, Boniface Nnabuchi Ugwu, alleged that the three missing Aku youths are suspected to have been kidnapped by Ikolo people on their way to seek traditional medical assistance. According to him, four persons from Aku, who went in search of those missing, were killed.
He said, “On August 1, 2024, three young men from Aku, Frank Nnamdi Didigwu, Chibuike Nnadi and Obiora Dugwu, went to a traditional herbalist from Ikolo to obtain herbal medicine for treatment of one of their mothers who was in a critical health condition.
“On getting to the premises of the traditional herbalist, one of them put a phone call to his sister’s phone, confirming that they had gotten to the residence of the herbalist. The three Aku boys are yet to be seen or their whereabouts known and their phones switched off.
“The matter was immediately reported to the police and the Enugu State government for necessary action. Our people went as a search party for the missing persons.
“Unfortunately, the search party was ambushed by armed Ikolo people and four out of them were shot and killed while scores of them sustained gunshot injuries.”
In 2016, he added, the Ikolo community unleashed a similar attack on the property of Aku people and persons as well, wherein four Ikolo people were arrested by a team of police from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, prosecuted and subsequently convicted by the court.
He called on the law enforcement agents and the state to intervene, and ensure the rescue of the three missing Aku Youths and bring the culprits to book.”
The spokesman of Enugu Police Command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident, adding that, “The police and other security forces were deployed to the communities and normalcy has since been restored.”
Enugu Communities Trade Accusations As Land Dispute Claims Lives, Property is first published on The Whistler Newspaper