Southeast villages

 By Vincent Ujumadu, Chidi Nkwopara and Steve Oko

THE growing insecurity in the South East has made this year’s Christmas very uneventful in many communities. Although many people were eager to come home to celebrate with their people, their relations were even the ones that discouraged them. 

In fact, almost 90 of those who returned to Nigeria from abroad for Christmas could not travel to their villages in the South East because of insecurity. People are indeed afraid of going home because of the menace of kidnappers and gunmen operating in the zone. One of the people who came back from Europe and hoping to travel to the East had to shelve the idea and had to spend the period in Lagos.

In a video he made apparently out of frustration, he said: “ Almost 90% of those who returned to Nigeria from abroad for Christmas could not travel to their villages in the South East because of insecurity. The foreign currencies they would have spent with their people are being spent in Lagos hotels. Their village people are even coming to Lagos to see them. 

“All these are happening because the people of South East do not want to listen and the ultimate losers are the poor people in the villages. As a result of this ugly development, the economy of South East is going down the drains. As it stands, everything in the South East is in shambles. The Christmas celebration in the South East is total rubbish because people are afraid to go home. It is the people that invited this calamity on themselves and blaming outsiders for their woes”. 

Saturday Vanguard discovered that the era of  conducting traditional marriages in cities in the South East resurfaced during this Christmas. For instance, a Nigerian from Nsukka in Enugu State who lives abroad and was to get married to a lady from Isiukwuato in Abia State had to perform the ceremony in Enugu city because of insecurity, especially along the Enugu – Okigwe axis.  Also, the renewed robbery and touting by government task forces claiming to be generating revenue for the state in Onitsha, Anambra State, scared many people from returning home for Christmas. 

In Enugu State, the killings in Ehamufu in Uzo local government area jolted many people and this made them to cancel coming home for Christmas. As a result, many people conducted their annual family meetings via WhatsApp and zoom as they could not meet physically. 

Unlike in the past, churches in the major cities in the South East were jam-packed during this Christmas because most people did not travel to the villages.

A critical look at this year’s Christmas season in Imo state showed that generally, people did not return in their villages in numbers as in previous years.

All the respondents, who spoke on the development, were unanimous in their submissions that the level of insecurity in the South East geo-political zone and the poor economic climate in the country, were largely responsible for the non-return of Ndigbo, to their country homes.

A retired banker, Mr. Sylvester Egbe, said: “I must tell you that people, generally did not return to their ancestral homes for this year’s Yuletide as was the case in the previous years.

“Personally, I was called from home on Thursday of the preceding week not to return for Christmas due to palpable insecurity in our area.

“A good example of the heightened insecurity in the state, was the sad assassination of a promising young man, who was given the Labour Party’s House of Assembly ticket, in my local government area, Onuimo.

“He was gruesomely murdered, about two or three Thursdays ago in the night in my town.

“His house and vehicle were completely burnt, while his wife and children were beaten to stupor! Similarly, his neighbour, a welder, was also killed.

“A week prior to this ugly incident, no fewer than four people were killed near Umuna and three days later, people were shot along Umunachi”.

Making particular reference to December 11, 2022, when he was billed to go home for a family meeting, Mr. Egbe said he did not see any vehicle loading opposite the Correctional Centre, Owerri.

“I had to return to my house, sent text messages to people at home and the meeting was cancelled. The level of insecurity became so bad that our yearly town union meeting, held at home every December 26, was suspended due to insecurity.”

Another retired banker, Mr. Cyril Obi, who responded via WhatsApp, said: “Members of my family and I, did not travel home this Christmas. The same is also true of my siblings and members of their families because of economic crunch and security challenges in my area, Awo-Omamma.

“From enquiry, many homes were unoccupied. Those who returned were extremely scanty and very boring for those who made it home.”

Texting a message from his Okwu Emekuku country home, Owerri North local council area of the state, Sir Seth Agukwu said: “Just a few of our people came home for the Christmas. It could be for security reasons or financial issues.”

A former lecturer in Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, AIFCE, Owerri, Dr. Anthony Ekwe, said: “Many people didn’t come home as in the past in my area, Emii, Owerri North local government area. This mainly is due to the economic crunch facing many Nigerians.

Sir Chidi Osuji said that although he spent the Christmas in Port Harcourt, he was not sure of returning to his village for the New Year.

“May be I will look for a very strong disguise that will enable me move about in the village”, Osuji said.

Contributing also to the enquiry, Mr. Chimezie Ugochukwu said that his area was completely empty as “people did not come home for Christmas”.

Ugochukwu said: “My area is completely empty, people did not come home for Christmas. I reached a friend who told me it’s better to manage in the city, since people did not travel much due to the economic situation of the country.”

The National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel

Anyanwu, blamed the festering insecurity in the South East, on “the absence of love, unity and peace amongst stakeholders in the society”.

According to him, “once members of different political parties begin to see themselves as a people created by one God, the issue of acrimony, rancour and backbiting, will be a thing of the past”.

He described as unfortunate, regrettable and unwholesome, the behavior of some supposed leaders who, he said, “should be in the business of making peace, but end up creating crisis in the society”, and admonished them to turn a new leaf.

In Abia State, the celebration was low key because of insecurity

Although there has been a significant improvement in the security situation in the state especially this Yuletide, not too many people returned to their communities, unlike before due to accumulated fear.

Investigation by Saturday Vanguard revealed that many communities which were a beehive of activities during this time in the previous years, were very dry and empty.

Speaking on the issue, the former General Manager, Abia Line Network Transport, Hon. Ugochukwu Uwaeke, from Isuochi in Umunneochi local government area, said many people did not return home for fear of the unknown.

Recall that Umunneochi has been a hotbed for insecurity in Abia State in the recent times due to the atrocities of suspected herdsmen and bandits.

His words:”People did not return as before principally because of insecurity in our area.”

He, however, noted that there was no incident of insecurity in the area during the festivities, and attributed it to the combined efforts of local vigilante groups and the conventional security agencies.

“There is improved security and the presence of the police and Army. Efforts of our local vigilante, supported by the community and some individuals, are paying off,” he said.

Uwaeke, however, attributed the emptiness of the communities to accumulated fears people had over time about insecurity in the area.

He added: “Due to previous fears, people did not return home as before. Even those who returned have not been moving around as they used to. Everybody is somehow, hiding for fear of the unknown.

“We thank God there was no incident of insecurity in the area this time except in the first week of December, but the military responded promptly, and since then, everywhere has been calm”.

Similarly, Dr Isaac Nkole, from Ndioji Abam Community in Arochukwu LGA,  told  Saturday Vanguard that the area did also not witness mass return of the people residing abroad due to insecurity.

He noted that, although there was no case of security breach in the area during the festivities, there was fear of attack by herdsmen among locals.

“This is the worst Christmas in Abam. After the clash with herdsmen about three months ago, everybody is being careful and circumspect.

“ There is fear everywhere. Everywhere is dry. APC Government has failed us. It has proven it cannot secure Nigerians.

“ People complain of insecurity and now of hunger. Things have never been this bad”, he agonized,” Nkole said.