Introduction/Historical Overview

The lower Anambra Irrigation Project (LAIP) Omor, Ayamelum Local Government Area Anambra State of Nigeria is an irrigation project executed by the Anambra – Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBDA). It has a potential area of about 10, 000 (Ten Thousand) hectres of irrigable land suitable for rice cultivation.

Sometimes  in 1982 through a feasibility study conducted by a Japanese firm, Nippon Koei Engineering Consultants. Anambra – Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBDA) became one of the 12 (Twelve) River Basins in Nigeria. It is a Federal Government Parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. The Lower Anambra Irrigation project (LAIP) was trusted with the sole management of the project in Ayamelum by allocating plots to individual participating farmers. The land for the project was acquired by the Federal Government of Nigeria mainly from Omor, Umumbo and Umerum Communities and compensation for economic trees were paid to the original land owners according to how much the acquisition affected their land.

Invariably these aforementioned communities handed over rights of ownership of their land to the Federal Government. Hence the project field was developed in clusters of “Turnouts” designed in Western and Eastern Axis. The project thus, has in its western Axis W¹ – W¹⁴ and Eastern Axis has E¹ to E¹⁸.

Having been adequately compensated for their economic trees and crops, the various communities effectively were divested of any form of control or claim of title over the acquired parcels of land.

Sometimes in the 2009 farming season, following claims and counter claims between participating farmers from Omor and Umumbo communities in “turn-outs” E7, there was negotiation between the parties and the LAIP whereby it was agreed among others things, that neither Omor nor Umumbo Communities has the right to administer or manage the parcels of land acquired by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The full details of the tripartiteagreementbetween the two (2) communities and Lower Anambra Irrigation Project is contained in the document dated 19^th March, 2009.

The Genesis of the Crisis

Following from the above background information, it should be noted that plots of rice field within the project were allocated to individual farmers on application to the Lower Anambra Irrigation Project for rice cultivation and not to land owning communities. Thus farmers from Omor, Umerum, Ifite-Ogwari, Umumbo and their environs can cultivate the plots of land allocated to them irrespective of town or community of origin. The LAIP did their last plots allocation in 2002 and participating farmers have continued to cultivate their plots as appropriate. Therefore, participating farmers at LAIP project are those who cultivate plots of rice field allocated to them by the LAIP management participating farmers do not have limits to clusters where they could be allocated plots and allocations are not community specific, because as a Federal Government owned project, it is managed entirely by LAIP authority.

In disobedience to the tripartite agreement made in 2009 as stated above, during the 2019 planting season, youths from Umumbo invaded E7¹, E7², E8, E9, E10, W1, W4 and part of W7 and chased out Omor participating farmers allocated plots in those turn outs, on the ground of mistaken believe  to be customary owners of those areas of land. The Umumbo youths were led by Mr. Udemezue Chukwuemeka (a.k.aOmekannia), Mr. UdemezueChukwuemeka (Omekannia): OkonkwoIdah (Akataka), IgweAluminium, Enegbuachala, Ukpaka, Ogwudile Asoanya, Udoji Nwa Mangi, Onyeka Nwa Mangi, Sunday Okonkwo (Ogbuolie) and others. The invaders from Umumbo accosted and directed the farmers from Omor community to vacate their legally allocated plots or face the wrath of Umumbo community. The participating farmers from Omor who later converged under the leadership of Mr. James Nnonyelu informed the Umumbo invaders that the plots of land in question were dully allocated to them by LAIP and that they paid for the use of the plots at the appropriate quarters. The Umumbo youths led by the above named persons on their own contention told the farmersfromOmor that Umumbo Community had taken a decision to eject all non-indigenous farmers in the clusters claiming that the plots of land originally belonged to Umumbo community and that they have come to take possession of the lands willy-nilly.

The youths further emphasized that non-natives of Umumbo community would not be allowed to cultivate in those clusters as mentioned above. In view of the above, the Umumbo youths forced the participating farmers from Omor out of the plots of land, took over the cultivation of the said plots from where the farmers from Omor stopped. On this note, the farmers fromOmor instantly reported the case to the LAIP management,. As a result, the LAIP management, sent a delegation to Umumbo and they were told by Umumbo community, that Umumbo as a community had resolved to take their land from LAIP. A response which LAIP management advised Umumbo community to follow due process in their dealing with their fellow farmers. LAIP Management made the Umumbo community to be aware that the project belongs to the Federal Government and that no community whatsoever can claim ownership of the project land/field. The LAIP management requested Umumbo community to return the invaded plots to the allottees. As a follow up to the above, the participating farmers from Omor again reported the matter to Umumbo Community leaders, underthe leadership of Hon. Justice Mike Okonkwo, passionately requesting him to prevail on Umumbo youths to allow the farmers into those clusters to cultivate their allocated plots.

On this note, Hon. Justice Mike N. Okonkwo summoned a meeting of the farmers, representatives of the youths andselected natives of Umumbo and Omor Communities to a meeting at his Umumbo residence. The meeting resolved among other issues, theneed for amicable resolution of the matter on ground that the sum of twelve thousand Naira only (N12, 000) be paid to Omor participating farmers in addition to the expenses already incurred before the unwarranted invasion. Also, agreed was that Umumbo youths who occupied and cultivated the said plots should vacate and allow the Omor farmers to resume the cultivation of their respective plots of land as usual from 2020 farming season. A committee made up of three (3) representatives from each of the two (2) communities headed by Hon. Kenneth Okolo (Former Transition Committee Chairman of Ayamelum Local Governement Area) was set up to oversee the implementation of the resolution.

Unfortunately, the Umumbo youths did not allow the implementation committee to conclude their assignments as the youths refused to pay the agreed sum of twelve thousand naira only (N12, 000) per plots and other expenses incurred before the invasion of the farmland to the participating Omor farmers.

Efforts made to Resolve the Issue through Petitions to Appropriate Authorities

The Omor farmers made reports of their plights to the LAIP, the police and several other relevant bodies crying out for a solutionyet no solution was proffered by the relevant Government agencies and police.

The Immediate Cause of Crisis

Unfortunately, the Umumbo youths refused to comply with the agreement reached at Hon. Justice Mike N. Okonkwo’s residence at Umumbo in 2019 and also failed to heed to the advice to Umumbo community by LAIP management. Consequently, the members of the farmers cluster in the areas resumed their normal farming activities in their plots allocated to them by the LAIP Management for the 2020 farming season, in form of spraying of herbicides, ploughing and harrowing as well as broadcasting of rice seeds. On the 6^th of May, 2020 as some of the farmers were in their farm land, the youths of Umumbo came in large number armed to theteeth to execute their ejection order, meeting them in their plots of land, theUmumbo youths started attacking the participating farmers from Omor.

During this clash, the Umumbo people abducted four Omor young farmers, including those who went to farm outside the rice field but because of the location of their farm, cannot return to Omor except through Umumbo town.

All efforts and pleas for the release of those kidnapped persons fell on deaf ears. Of the initial four kidnapped persons by Umumbo youths, two persons eventually escaped and managed to return to Omor. The other two persons namely: IkennaAnekwe and ChizorOkafor are believed to have been murdered having not been seen since then till now.

The 6^th of May, 2020 was Afor Market day, the traditional market day of Umumbo town. As usual, many Omor indigenes went to this market on that day, oblivious of the clash the previous day. Some other Omor people who had other reasons to be in Umumbo were also in that community on that day including Arc. Joseph Anumudu and his two workmen who were handling a building project for an Umumbo man Mr. Nonso Onuorah suffered casualties.

Several of such people including Nnamdi Emeka was abducted and have not been released till date while Arc. Joseph Anumudu was saved by some soldiers. Two others who were among the people that went to Umumbo on the said 6^th May, 2020 as emissaries to seek for the release of the abducted/kidnapped indigenes of Omor, were attacked by Umumbo people and got murdered. They are Onyebuchi Simon Ananti and Sunday Chukwuemeka whose bodies have been laid to rest and their burial rites performed.

Some indigenes of Omor ordinarily have farms at Umumbo farm land where they cultivate crops other than rice. One Chukwuelu Anyagbuo an elderly man from Ituku Aturia, Omor was one of such farmers. The youths from Umumbo kidnapped him on his way through Umumbo to Omor on the fateful 6^th day of May and he has not been seen till date. The period was indeed the peak of rice cultivation in Ayamelum and some of the participating farmers who were unwilling to abandon their plots to Umumbo youths again this year as they did in 2019 returned to the farm to commence the planting season only to meet their Umumbo attackers again and the rest is now history as casualties were witnessed from both sides of the divide.

Subsequently, the law enforcement agents were drifted to the two (2) communities to maintain peace and order and several arrests were made from both sides of the communities and investigations commenced by the AnambraState Police Command Awka and before Police concludes their investigation the two (2) communities through the intervention of Ayamelum Leaders of Thought recommended peace effort for unification which includes the ritual of Iko-Mee. Base on the above recommendation the two (2) communities went through the ritual of (Iko-Mee) Blood Atonement/Cleansing Covenant. And since then relative peace and normalcy have returned to the two (2) brotherly communities.

Conclusion

In view of the above ritual ceremony which was effective in ensuring peace to the two (2) communities the police upon conclusion of their discreet investigation brought the Leaders of the two (2) communities and the suspects together and advised them to continue to maintain the peace which they have achieved through Ayamelum Leaders of Thought and however, maintained that their case file shall remain KIV in case of any further eventuality that the perpetrators shall definitely face the wrath of the law.

Signed

Chief Barr. Francis A. Onwuachi                   Chief Julius O. Ofordile

(Ochendo Omor)                                            (Chineme-Madu-Odogwu)

President General Omor Town Union                Secretary-General, Omor Town Union