Residents of
Amansea in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State woke up yesterday
morning to a horrifying discovery of over 30 dead bodies floating in Ezu River
in the community. The river is at the boundary between Enugu and Anambra states
and the dead bodies were found at the old Enugu-Onitsha road axis of the river.
The corpses that
could not be easily identified, were suspected to have been dumped in the river
Friday night by unknown persons. Some fishermen and sand excavators discovered
the decomposing bodies at the bank of the river. People from all over the state
and neighbouring Enugu state including travellers besieged the river yesterday
to catch a glimpse of the dead bodies. Meanwhile, government sources said that
Governor Peter Obi has cut short his working trip abroad on hearing of the
incident and would return to the state immediately.
When reporters
visited the scene, three more bodies were seen floating toward the other bodies
in Amansea-Ugbenu- Ebenebe town. Natives of Amansea who were still in
shock over the discovery stated that some of the bodies they saw had been swept
away while some were still buried down the river and would float later.
Speaking to reporters, the traditional ruler of Amansea community, Igwe Kenneth
Okonkwo, described it as a sad development, noting that his community had not
witnessed such a gory sight before.
On the number of
bodies so far seen, the monarch said he could not say exactly the total number
of dead bodies found in the river but that they were too many, adding that his
people would take counts as the dead bodies flow. However, addressing newsmen,
the Commissioner for Local Government, Mrs Azuka Enemuo who was in the company
with her Environment counterpart and the Awka North local government chairman,
said the discovery was strange and that government would get to its root. She
further said: “We have seen about 14 floating bodies so far and this is a river
at the boundary between Enugu and Anambra states.
This river
actually runs from somewhere in Agbogu Enugu through Oji River cross Anambra
state and empties into River Niger. “It is obvious that these corpses are
flowing from somewhere and I can tell you we haven’t seen the last of it. We
cannot say for instance, that this is the number because they are still
floating. From the account we have, corpses are still floating down into
Anambra state.” The Commissioner explained that the security agencies have been
informed about the incident, adding that the governor who was outside the
country on an official assignment had cut short his trip and was on his way
back to the state.
She said that
Enugu state government officials had been contacted, “to come and witness with
us because it is a river on the boundary of Anambra and Enugu states and it is
floating into Anambra state.” Confirming the incident, the State Police Public
Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka said that the command was aware of the
incident and that it has commenced investments, assuring that it would soon
unravel what happened. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Balla Nasarawa, has
also confirmed the incident, adding that investigation had begun to unravel the
mystery.
“Our attention
was drawn to the incident and we immediately dispatched our men. As you can
see, we are at the scene and we saw some corpses flowing on the river. I have
contacted my colleague in Enugu since we share the boundary so that we can
carry out a high level investigation into the incident. “I don’t know the exact
number of bodies, but we have seen about 10 to 15 corpses afloat the river,” he
said. Nasarawa, however, denied reports that it was a recurrent incident being
carried out by the police, saying this was his first time of getting such a
report. “I don’t think that is true but we shall investigate and keep the
public informed after we conclude our investigation,” he said.
The Amansea River
is a tributary of River Niger deriving its source from Agbuogugu community in
Enugu and flows through Orji to Amansea. The river is also a source of drinking
water to the people of Amansea and neighbouring communities. The Commissioner
for Local Government Affairs, Mrs Azuka Enemuo, described the incident as a
gory one and a waste of human lives, adding “it is a crime against humanity.’’
The commissioner also noted that the bodies found were not fresh corpses. “It
was a discovery made by the households who normally come down to get water for
their domestic chores. It is a horrible site.
“It is obvious
that these corpses are from somewhere and I can tell you that we have not seen
the last of it or say this is the actual number,” she said. She said that the
government would sink additional boreholes in the area to ameliorate the water
challenges of the people who drink and carry out other domestic chores from the
river. “The demand to take water from an existing borehole would be high now.
We shall collaborate with the traditional ruler to sink more boreholes to
ameliorate the water challenges of the people,” she said.
Also speaking,
the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo, who expressed shock
at the development, said that finding an alternative source of potable water
for the people had become paramount. Okonkwo said he would collaborate with
security agents to unravel the mysterious incident and work with the state
government in providing water for the people.
In separate
remarks, the Transition Chairman of the Council Area, Mrs Joy Enweluzor, and
the Vice President-General of the community, Mr Maduka Okoye, said that none of
the bodies found afloat had been identified as members of the community. They
added that no member of the community had also been reported missing.
Source: Sun
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