By Uzo Ebele
Indigenes of Amakor village in Nanka, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State have cried out over the devastating effect of erosion in their environment as a result of sand miners.
Leaders of the village under
the aegis of Amakor Njikoka Development Union in a press release signed by its
chairman and secretary, Mr. Ilo Obinna Daniel and Mr. Patrick Okole
respectively and made available to journalists in Awka yesterday accused the
traditional ruler and president general of Nanka community, Igwe Godwin Ezilo
and Rev. Can. Ifeanyi Ezike alleging that the duo of being behind the excavation
of sand in the village.
This outcry is coming months
after the Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo banned the activities of
sand excavators in the community.
The community said the
destruction of their environment through sand mining by the traditional ruler
is part of the marginalization Amakor has faced in the hand of the leadership
of Nanka community leaders.
"We have earlier mounted a
gate on the road leading to our village, but the gate was primarily dismantled
to facilitate the illegal sand mining going on every night at the Agulu-Nanka-Oko
Erosion Site, Amako section.
"It took the mature
intervention of the village Chairman - Mr. Obinna llo to calm down the highly
provoked people of Amakor on when the gates were being destroyed. The illegal
sand miners then had uncontrolled accesses to the already devastated stream
beach."
The community said their marginalization by the leaders of Nanka did not start today. They alleged that because of such marginalization, they have been stopped from producing the traditional prime minister of the community which was rightfully their turn.
"They have even gone as
far as trying to create a parallel leadership in Amakor, using some people who
are loyal to them, just so that they can be causing environmental hazard to us
through illegal sand mining.
"We therefore call on the
governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Charles Chukwuma Soludo to come to
our rescue by setting up an independent panel or commission of inquiry to look
into our complaints with a view of enforcing the rule of law and protecting the
rights of the weak in the society."
When called the President
General, Mr Ifeanyi Ezeike who spoke on behalf of himself and the monarch, he
said he had received reports that the illegal sand excavators usually cone from
neighbouring Oko community.
"I have called the
President General of Oko community to tell them to investigate and stop his
people from coming here. The Amakor leadership are playing politics by
including my name as the one mining their sand.
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