By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Leaders of Amakor village in Nanka, Orumbs South Local Government Area of Anambra under the aegis of Amakor Njikoka Development Union have accused the traditional ruler and president general of Nanka community, Igwe Godwin Ezilo and Rev. Can. Ifeanyi Ezike, of being behind the excavation of sand in the village.

The indigenes of the community on Tuesday cried out over the devastating effect of erosion in their environment as a result of sand miners.

The outcry is coming months after the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, banned the activities of sand excavators in the community.

A press release signed by the chairman of the community and secretary, Mr. Ilo Obinna Daniel and Mr. Patrick Okole respectively, and made available to journalists in Awka said that the sand mining in the community is part of the traditional ruler's scheme to marginalize Amakor community.

The statement reads in part: “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 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 the President General, Mr Ifeanyi Ezeike, was contacted, he said he had received reports that the illegal sand excavators usually come from neighbouring Oko community.

The PG who spoke also on behalf of his traditional ruler said: “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.”