Governor Sullivan Chime is confronted by the herculean task of restoring lasting peace to Umuode and Oruku, two communities in Enugu State that have been feuding for 17 years
By Jude Orji\ Enugu
Armed with an AK 47 automatic rifle with 24 rounds of live ammunition, Ikechukwu Ani from Umuode, on 21 April laid an ambush for a team of mobile policemen and members of a panel set up by Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime to enumerate and delineate houses and boundaries in Umuode and Oruku, both in Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state. He was about to pull the trigger when he was spotted by eagle-eyed policemen, who professionally disarmed him.
Ani is currently cooling his heels in a cell in Central Police Station, Enugu. Reacting to the incident, the traditional ruler of Oruku, Chief Cornelius Nomeh, alleged that Ani was sponsored by some Umuode leaders to eliminate the team, and thus sabotage government’s peace efforts. The royal father accused the Umuode leaders of having smuggled sophisticated weapons into the town to wipe out his subjects.
For the past 17 years, there has been a sustained internecine feud between Umuode and Oruku, which has claimed several hundreds of lives, and the destruction of over 500 houses. As a consequence, food production has drastically dropped in the rich agricultural belt of Nkanuland.
Oruku is made up of three clans – Umuode, Umuchiani and Onogowo. Chris Nnamchi, a civil engineer, told this magazine that the crisis in the town started when the Umuode people wanted one of their own installed as the traditional ruler of Oruku. He argued that the Umuodes are “resident non-indigenes” of Oruku, and therefore, are not qualified to occupy the traditional stool of the town. But Emma Omaba, a member of the Umuode clan and former deputy chairman, Nkanu East Local Government Council, described the non-indigene tag as a figment of the imagination of Nnamchi and others like him. He told the magazine that the Umuode had occupied Oruku land before other inhabitants began flooding into the area, a rich agricultural zone. Besides cultivating yams, cassava and engaging in palm produce in commercial quantity, the people of Oruku are also good palmwine tappers. Igwe Moses Ugwu, traditional ruler of Umuode and Daniel Nweke, chairman, Umuode Town Union, in a letter dated 13 August 2007 and addressed to Governor Chime, argued that, “Prior to the arrival of Christianity, traditional deities dictated norms, customs, law and order in Oruku, as in most Igbo towns. Until the last 30 years, Umuode had dominion as the chief priests of all the deities in the town (Oruku) since they had been the original natives of Oruku, having been the population that inhabited the land from the origin.”
It continued: “With inter-tribal wars taking a great toll on the original inhabitants, the other two clans – Umuchiana and Onogowo – aided by an ethnic cult that existed in Nkanu, contrived a plan over time of progressive elimination of Umuode.” The letter urged Chime to grant Umuode autonomous status in line with the recommendations of panels set up by previous governments in the state.
Interestingly, the people of Oruku, in their l976 chieftaincy constitution agreed that the traditional rulership of the town would rotate among the three clans that make up the town. But the amended constitution of l987 removed the rotational clause, and inserted “merit” as the basis for occupying the traditional stool. The Umuode argue that they were not consulted before the constitution was amended, adding that since they are in the minority, it would be easier for an elephant to pass through the eye of a needle than for an Umuode man to occupy the traditional stool of Oruku, even if he is qualified to do so.
A former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, the immediate past Senate president, Ken Nnamani, and the former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, now a senator, all hail from Nkanuland.
When the crisis first broke out in 1995 during a reception for Prof. Bart Nnaji, a renowned robotics engineer, by the Umuode, the then military administrator of Enugu State, Col. Mike Torey, set up an administrative panel of enquiry, chaired by the then Methodist Archbishop of Enugu, Joshua Dimoji, now deceased, to determine the immediate and remote causes of the frequent disturbances in Oruku, and to make recommendations to forestall future strife in the town. The panel said in its report that the immediate causes of the 9 October l995 disturbances in the town were the imposition of levy for the renovation of the primary school in the town, and the seizure of bicycles of those who were unable to pay. It also cited the disruption of the reception in honour of Nnaji, The panel blamed the fighting on “the social cleavage between the Amadis (indigenes) and Obias (non-indigenes), perpetuated and sustained by the two social organisations, Nkanu Odenigbo Welfare Association, NOWA, and Association of Nkanu Indigenes, ANI. The panel further blamed the disturbances to the change of the l976 constitution which “entrenched rotation among the three clans (Umuchiani, Onuogowo and Umuode) in Oruku, as the basis for an appointment of an Igwe with that of l987, which recognised merit as basis for succession to the Igwe stool.”
According to the report, the destruction of property was extensive and confined to Umuode alone. ‘‘In most of the houses belonging to Umuode which we inspected, all the furniture, doors and windows were removed, and louvre blades broken to pieces…It would be an uphill task to make the houses habitable again,” the report said. The panel recommended that the principle of rotation enshrined in the l976 Constitution should be restored, and that merit should be used in choosing the Igwe of the town. The panel also recommended that the Oruku Town Union be dissolved and replaced with a caretaker committee, whose membership should be drawn equally from the three clans.
The panel recommended the demarcation of Oruku into two autonomous communities, with the villages of Eziobodo, Obinagu and Uzam constituting Umuode autonomous community, and the remaining villages forming Oruku autonomous community. It was gathered that the other two clans in Oruku were averse to this suggestion, but rather proposed that the Umuode autonomous community be located in a virgin land within Oruku called Abari, covering 450 hectares and about 400 metres from Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway.
But Torey was removed as military administrator shortly after the Dimoji panel submitted its report and could not implement recommendations of the panel. His successor, Sule Ahman, however, created an autonomous community for Umuode “subject to availability of land”. The magazine gathered that the Oruku people provided a virgin land called Abari within Oruku for the Umuode autonomous community, but the Umuode preferred to settle in a land called Agu-efi, which has been in contention between Oruku and Akpugo people. Nevertheless, Navy Captain Agbaje, who replaced Ahman, was said to have ordered the Umuode, to relocate to the disputed Agu-efi land after the government acquired it.
Speaking with TheNEWS two weeks ago, Omaba claimed the Oruku people have launched series of attacks against the Umuode since they moved into their new abode. But in a recent memorandum to Governor Chime, the Oruku people claimed that: “In the early hours of Saturday 8 December 2007, the Umuode stormed into Oruku after eight years of living outside the community…On arrival at Oruku, the Umuode militant youths proceeded immediately to block the Oruku Akpugo Road, thus making impossible movement to and from Uzam village…Within the first three days of their invasion of Oruku, the Umuodes embarked on forceful ejection of some Oruku people from their homes, dispossessing the Orukus of their goods – blocking the major road from Oruku to Obodo Nike– thus paralysing the economic and social life or Oruku people.”
Nnamchi claimed that no fewer than four Oruku youths were killed during the December raid. But Omaba denied that such attack ever took place. He said the Orukus are envious of the Umuode because they have produced sons and daughters who are “doing excellently well in public and private service”. By and large, the present enumeration of houses and delineation of boundary going on in Oruku is giving some Nkanu leaders concern. They express fear that Chime would order that Oruku be divided into two autonomous communities, with the Umuode occupying one part of the town. But Chime insists that his administration is determined to find a lasting solution to the age-long bickering and discrimination between the brothers. How far can he go?
Obiora Umeh
21 August 2008 19:32Why do people allow their ego to constitute an obstacle even when lives are at stake .I believe the Oruku- Umuode conflict can be resolved if cooler heads mediate the conflict . This nonsense about people being non-indigenes must stop. It serves no useful purpose. It excacerbates the problem , it pepetuates injustice by attempting to mark a specific group of people as inferior to others, forever! Sometimes the “educated” people in these communities are the problem.
Rotational chieftaincy is the answer!
Urchman
23 August 2008 15:20Custom is what they said as the norm and ethic of people living together in the same geographical entity. Meanwhile, Custom is also regarded to unaltered because of it code and tenents. But in the comtemporary society of us. I think, custom is some thing that should be alter when is affecting the systematic processes of a community. From the on-set according to the norm and cutom of the Igbo Tradition and belief. Then system of indigenous people and non-indiginous people {Amadi and Obia which some communities regards as the Ohu people} has created a lot of problem and prolong dipute among the syndrome of Brotherhood and sisterhood in the nook and carnnies of Igbo communities. This obnoxious system has bridge teh existence of peace and tranqulity in the land of the Igbo because of the fact the head of the traditional ruler or praist in the couuminty never felt rentlessly to pass the information from generation to genration which is be embbeded in the mind of the offspring fo the communities and more genration to come.
Hitheto, Such policy or rule is what I think that genrated coomunal confilet between the Umuode and Oruku communitiy in Nkanu land. This issue is a very sensentive issue in Nkanu land where I come and it is unthodox that non-indigous of a mna should come up and become the traditional reler of the land which is not a native of it. I am quite against this kind of sujection since I know that all human begin are begin created by the almight and they was no precrision during the creation of man that some will be native why some will be non native people. The in the determination of whom will be the corridon power in Enugu state, such rule and practise are begin considered. If those in power should be sincere and truthful to each other and mostly those that comes from the Nkanu land where this syndrom is outrageous, then I think is problem is be instant;y solve without enchroaching time.
Let the government advocate a law that will abolish such plocy or custom with kine with the declration fo human right by United Nation article 1 to 30. Stich in time save nice.
From Urchman An Indiginous of Enugu State Studying In Malaysia.
Do not mind an typography eror or gramatical structure. I am only in hurry when I was typing this comment.
theophilus adenyi
27 August 2008 03:15I am from oruku and wish to correct the negative impressions being created about oruku nay oruku/umuode crises which had lasted for over a decade. the issue is not osu or ohu practice. In the year 1987, oruku people appointed an umuode man to represent themat Nkanu legislative council. the name is Godfrey Igweshi of umuode extraction. he contested with chief felix nwatu of Oruku extraction . oruku people forced the later to step down for the former. In 1990 under the then SDP, late Chief Clement Okenwa sponsored Hon Emmanuel Omaba and he won the councillorship of Oruku/Amechi Idodo ward. Hon. Omaba hails from umuode . During the war 1967-1970, Nicholas Omaba of umuode ruled Oruku as sariki and became the link bw oruku and Nigerian Army etc. if oruku practises Ohu, how can they allow an Umuode Man to represent them as councillors. umuode were members of oruku town union until they , in thier own volition resolved to pull out .The problem is that umuode never tell any truth about our relationship with them. Oruku has 23 families before the crises . 12 for umuchiani the largest kindred family, 6 for Onuogowo while 5 for umuode. The umuodes became a clan in Oruku in the 40s during the reign of HRH OKenwa Adenyi of umuchiani as Igwe. He encouraged and assisted umuode to become a clan and the youngest. Oruku people live interwoven . There is no place or village called umuode, umuchiani or onuogowo in Oruku, we have been relating well with each other before the crisis . causeof the crises was that Oruku people ammended their chieftaincy code of conduct in 1987 and changed rotational clause in it to merit so as to enable them elect a credible and educated traditional ruler. what umuode cannot tell the world is that five of their sons representing the five families of umuode namely; umu nnaji anebu, Umu odeonaga, umuchiuba, umuoka, umuakpa were signatories to the ammended constitution which produced HRH Igwe C A Nomeh whom they paricipated in his election.the issue at stake is no longer our past but umuode’s insistence that all oruku people living at the right hand side of oruku should vacate for them. ie they should vacate their ancestral home for umuode to inhabit as d claim that they bought the land known to Akpugo people as Aguefi and to Oruku people as otolojo. oruku and Akpugo fought both physical and legal battle with Akpugo over the land where more than half of Oruku people including umuode resides. later umuode oruku and umuode Akpugo connnived or teamed up to drve oruku from the land . this lead to the intra communial war. As part of this plot, they were given an autonomous community by the then military Governor of Enugu state inspite of the fact that we live interwoven without any definite boundary separating oruku and umuode. Then they came up with this idea of Oruku People vacating the entire right hand side of the town for them to inhabit. and started demolishing their houses at the left hand side hoping that oruku people will vacate the other side for them. oruku people in other to avert and breakdown of law and orde gave the
them a piece of land called Abari measuring about 405.000 hectares which is about 400 meters from Ezza akpuoga Nike along Enugu Abakaliki road. this land is a virgin empty farmland for them to be re-settled there but they refused insisting that oruku people should park out of Aguefi/Otolojo. Many panel had been set up on this matter.Oputa panel recommended that they should go Abari they refused. Dimoji panel recomended that Oruku People should vacate Aguefi for them but they said never insisting thst there was never a time they drive umuode out of oruku,instead it was the umuode who teamed up with umuode Akpugo to annex oruku to create room for them to inhabit aguefi which lead to 1999 war which at the end,umuode went into exile at Akpuoga Nike another umuode community in Nkanu Clan. on Dec.8th 2007 theystormed oruku with mecernaries and camped at Prof. barth nnaji’s uncompleted house at Eziobod o village in oruku where they started unleashing terror on unsuspecting oruku people claiming that Governor Sullivan had given them back their land.they murdered innocent people, put houses on fire , blocked the only major road that connects oruku with other communities yet oruku people continues to persevere. Gov.chime visited Oruku on 12/01/08 and pleaded for calm ,promising that he will look into the matter nd settle it yet umuode contiunued attacking oruku people hoping that they will use force to eject oruku people out of Aguefi/otolojo which is not possible. Gov. Chime set up a panel to enumerated all the homesteads in oruku (as umuode in some of their submissions claimed tha they are in majority), but on the day the panel started work umuode leaders armed one Okechukwu Ani with AK47 to shoot and kill oruku people, members of the panel upon the presence of over 25 police mobile team. what an irony. after the enumeration, oruku people have 896 homestead, umuode 293, public institutions in Oruku 17 bringing the total to 1206. At Aguefi/otolojo, oruku people have 449,while umuode have 111. please minus 293 total for umuode at Aguefi/Otolojo from 449 of Oruku the balance will be 156. the question now is who shall vacate?. ANOTHER version of the problem is that umuode worship Prof. Barth Nnaji like God . The Professor of Robotic is a Demi-God to them. No oruku man or woman will worship anybody like God no matter how rich he or she may be. Professor’s status is intoxicating them and had made them to be blind to realities. i have never seen such in my life. poor and indigent people among umuode continue to suffer day in day out.. To my dear leaders , if umuode refusesto be re-settled at Abari, let them go back to their homes before the crises and let us remain as we are before as one oruku people or let their leaders use the money being wasted in buying arms to facilitate their going to Abar. Oruku case is not the first case where umuode from other parts of Nkanu were settled in a virgin land following their requests to have autonomy. let me give some instance, Ugwuaji separated from Amechi Awkunanaw, Akwuke people from Akegbe Ugwu Awkunanaw, Ugwogo Nike from Ibagwa Nike , Isiogbo Nara from Nara Unataeze etc . All these communities were re-settled in a virgin land provided by their mother communities. nobody from their mother communities were ejacted. why should Oruku case be an eception. Today another umuode son inspite of their crocodile tears is today our elected councillor representing Amechi Idodo? Oruku ward. In conclusion, the issue of OHU or OSU is not the problem in Orukuand people should stop giving negative information about that community. we had only one primary school, where all of us schooled no form of social strata had ever been noticed, 1 catholic church at the begining, one market etc. the role of the catholic diocease of Enugu is regretable.the hate Oruku people which has 90%ofthe entire population as catholic. my email is engel364@yahoo.com for those willing to know more truth about oruku. Any thing built on Falsehood shall fade with time. i challenge any umuode man or woman to come up with any counter if i am lying like them. pls read this unedited comment and know the truth.