Crisis N Aguleri-Umuleri
Aguleri-Umuleri Crisis.
Summary
Not only is the incidence of land disputes increasing, they are becoming increasingly serious too. Many lives have already been lost while property with a value running into hundreds of millions has been destroyed. The stress, bereavement impoverishment, disruption of social life and insecurity caused by these conflicts is enormous and is inimical to the development of the communities concerned. This article presents a critical analysis of one such conflict - the ongoing dispute between the Aguleri and Umuleri. It aims to show how these conflicts can be explained with reference to the pre-colonial era, to describe their nature and intensity, to present an account of the intervention strategies that have been tried, and to make recommendations.
The Aguleri and Umuleri are of the same Igbo ethnic extraction and are predominantly Christians. The Aguleri and Umuleri towns are located in the southeastern part of Nigeria in Anambra State, close to the large town of Onitsha, which lies on the Niger River. In the southeastern part of Nigeria, they are considered to be among the most highly educated as a result of their early contact with the missionaries.
The question 'who owns the land?' is at the root of communal clashes in several theatres across the country today. The same question also explains the bloody fights between Umuleri and Aguleri communities. The crisis goes back to the beginnings of each community's recorded history as it centres on the question of which community first settled its current territory and which community has the prior claim to the area known as Otuocha. To understand the source of the conflict however, an historical overview of the changing dynamics of the land dispute between the Aguleri and Umuleri is necessary.
Pre-colonial boundary conflicts
The central importance of land to the peoples of pre-colonial Nigeria, especially those occupying the equatorial rain forests, cannot be doubted. They were
Summary
Not only is the incidence of land disputes increasing, they are becoming increasingly serious too. Many lives have already been lost while property with a value running into hundreds of millions has been destroyed. The stress, bereavement impoverishment, disruption of social life and insecurity caused by these conflicts is enormous and is inimical to the development of the communities concerned. This article presents a critical analysis of one such conflict - the ongoing dispute between the Aguleri and Umuleri. It aims to show how these conflicts can be explained with reference to the pre-colonial era, to describe their nature and intensity, to present an account of the intervention strategies that have been tried, and to make recommendations.
The Aguleri and Umuleri are of the same Igbo ethnic extraction and are predominantly Christians. The Aguleri and Umuleri towns are located in the southeastern part of Nigeria in Anambra State, close to the large town of Onitsha, which lies on the Niger River. In the southeastern part of Nigeria, they are considered to be among the most highly educated as a result of their early contact with the missionaries.
The question 'who owns the land?' is at the root of communal clashes in several theatres across the country today. The same question also explains the bloody fights between Umuleri and Aguleri communities. The crisis goes back to the beginnings of each community's recorded history as it centres on the question of which community first settled its current territory and which community has the prior claim to the area known as Otuocha. To understand the source of the conflict however, an historical overview of the changing dynamics of the land dispute between the Aguleri and Umuleri is necessary.
Pre-colonial boundary conflicts
The central importance of land to the peoples of pre-colonial Nigeria, especially those occupying the equatorial rain forests, cannot be doubted. They were