Peace yesterday returned to the town of Isuofia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State following the reconciliation of the two factions that had been embroiled in crisis for 20 years.
The reconciliation was spearheaded by a peace and conflict resolution committee made up of clerics from the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal churches as well as some stakeholders in the community.
It was gathered that trouble started in 1997 when a quarter of Isuofia community announced its secession from the town, renaming it Isuanioma Community while another group saw it as a bitter pill to swallow, hence it led to a breakdown of law and order in the community.
While the communal crisis lasted, over 36 families fled their homes for fear of attacks, nine buildings were torched while two persons were alleged to have been missing.
It was also learnt that the then Isuofia Peoples Union Federated Executive which functioned for about eighteen years was rejected by the community which described it as illegitimate.
A lawsuit was however filed shortly after the truce by Chief Samuel Nwankwo and eleven others against former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, eight clerics and 22 others but it was quashed by the presiding judge of Aguata High Court, Justice Obiora.
It was against this backdrop that the two warring camps in compliance with the directives of Special Adviser to Anambra State Governor on Chieftaincy and Town Union Matters, Barr Ikechukwu Onyeabo, conducted a unified town union election to elect a new executive yesterday.
Speaking shortly after the election that produced Mr. Jude Okeke as the President General, Soludo described it as a new dawn in Isuofia community.
His words: “War or crisis is an evil wind that blows nobody any good and you can imagine what our community has lost in the last twenty years, socio-economically.
“I wish to announce my support the new executive and I call on all and Sundry both those that won the election and those that did not win to work together to the progress and development of Isuofia town.
“I also thank the Anambra State Government for its role in ensuring peace in Isuofia town and we the people of Isuofia would endure that we cue in to all the developmental schemes and policies of this executive and the state government.”
(News Express)