Former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has appealed to the people of Umuoba-Anam and Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State to immediately cease hostilities and embrace peace.
Obi, in a statement on Monday, said he was “deeply pained” by reports of renewed hostilities between the two neighbouring communities, warning that violence would only bring destruction and deepen the hardship already facing the people.
He said, “hostilities of the kind we are witnessing between the two communities achieve nothing but destruction,” stressing that at a time when Nigerians were already finding it increasingly difficult to survive, “adding the devastation of conflict is like adding fuel to the fire.”
The former governor appealed to both communities to lay down their arms and seek a peaceful resolution to their differences, noting that no grievance, however serious, was worth the loss of lives, destruction of homes and livelihoods, or the suffering inflicted on families.
Obi urged the people to choose dialogue over violence, reconciliation over revenge and peace over destruction, maintaining that there was always a better way to resolve disagreements.
He also called on community leaders and other stakeholders to demonstrate wisdom and leadership in bringing an end to the crisis.
