By Chuka Nnabuife
The words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Only in the darkness can you see the stars,” have manifested vividly in Ihiala Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State.
After more than three harrowing years of insecurity, residents of the LGA are finally breathing deep sighs of relief and celebrating their newfound freedom. Under the grip of armed bandits who established camps across the area, businesses collapsed, churches and schools were deserted, hospitals closed, and ceremonies such as funerals and marriages were banned. The Ebonesie axis became a tense hive of the dreaded, so-called “unknown gunmen.” Mafia-style killings, house burnings, abductions, robberies, and other crimes turned the once-vibrant area into a war zone — a “no-go area” for visitors and passers-by. Ihiala, particularly the Ebonesie clan, sank into a state of fear and paralysis. Many natives fled, while sons and daughters abroad were too fearful to return.
The insecurity displaced communities including Lilu, Orsumoghu, Isseke, and parts of Mbosi, Azia, and Ubuluisiuzo. Markets were shut, schools closed, and even century-old churches such as St Mary’s Catholic Parish, a zonal headquarters, ceased activity. Major parishes like St Patrick’s, Mbosi, and St Joseph’s, Isseke, also suspended worship by decree of the occupiers. Civic life was crippled, with elections impossible until the August 16 by-election for the vacant Anambra South Senate seat. The African proverb is apt: “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers” — and Ihiala’s ordinary people bore the brunt of the crisis.
However, a turning point came in the closing days of September. A combined effort of the Anambra State Government-established and funded Operation Udo Ga Achi — a joint task force of the Nigerian Army, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Civil Defence, and the Anambra State Vigilante (Agụnaechemba) — invaded the criminals’ strongholds and flushed them out. The relief was immediate and overwhelming, and joy spread across the communities.
The jubilation echoed the euphoria experienced across Igboland in January 1970, when the Nigerian Civil War ended. Although some returned to find their homes overgrown by bush or occupied by animals, the joy of repossession outweighed the losses. As Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” Given the scale of terror and the resilience of the bandits, few had expected liberation.
Communities responded swiftly. Young people mobilised across the villages, clearing overgrown roads, reopening schools, and restoring churches, markets, and business centres. Traditional rulers, many of whom had fled during the crisis, are gradually returning to their palaces.
To mark the new dawn, towns across Ihiala staged their New Yam festivals in the last week of September. Colourful masquerades, dances, and communal feasts proclaimed: Ihiala is reclaiming its life, culture, and confidence. The festivals stood as a testament to memory, renewal, and the revival of hope that had nearly been lost.
The people’s zeal to restore normalcy is understandable. Travellers and residents alike had suffered under recurring violence for over three and a half years. Highway ambushes, market attacks, kidnappings, and roadblocks made daily life precarious. Ihiala’s proximity to Imo State, where bandits also have major strongholds, compounded the challenge of policing and controlling the area.
In response, the Anambra State Government established three forward operating bases (FOBs), including one near Orsumoghu, a key flashpoint. Joint patrols and checkpoints along the Onitsha–Owerri expressway and other sensitive points have now strengthened security. Key strongholds, including Lilu, Isseke, and the Ihiala LGA Secretariat, remain strategic for both enforcement and monitoring.
Bloody clashes between security operatives and bandits have been frequent, leaving even minors able to identify different groups by the sound of their gunfire. In January this year, six gunmen were neutralised in Lilu by Agụnaechemba, with three fleeing and two camps seized. Earlier that month, armed men attacked a burial ceremony, killing two police officers and several civilians. In December 2024, an ambush at the Ihiala Secretariat prompted Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to place a ₦10 million bounty on the perpetrators. In May 2025, joint forces raided a bomb-making camp in Isseke, destroying IEDs; similar operations in 2024 led to the arrest of suspected cult leaders in Okija and the banishment of 11 others.
Ihiala’s experience highlights both the fragility and resilience of local communities, showing how insecurity undermines development. The recent success in flushing bandits from their hideouts demonstrates how coordinated state actions like Operation Udo Ga Achi, supported by intelligence gathering and community involvement, can restore stability.
The long-traumatised communities now hope this hard-won peace endures, allowing Ihiala to rebuild, heal, and flourish once again.
