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Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
A group known as Onitsha Gadi Mma Forum has raised the alarm over alleged acquisition of land meant for cemetery/ burial ground by both Catholic and Anglican Churches in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The group alleged that the first burial ground known as Old Cemetery at Odoakpu has been bulldozed by the Anglican and Catholic Churches, alleging that Anglican recently built St. Christopher church opposite an existing St. Joseph Catholic Church Onitsha.
In a Save our Soul (SOS) letter to Federal Government signed by the Patron of the group Akunne Okechukwu Amuta called on the government to remove the structure erected at the cemetery, which he said was the resting place of un-recognized, un-appreciated, un-known Saints and soldiers that made Onitsha the ‘Eldorado’ of Nigeria in the 20th century.
The group said despite many religious organizations in Onitsha, they could not change the criminals minds of the people in the city but wanted to destroy and desecrate the graves of the souls at rest.
Amuta stated that the New Cemetery was provided by then government of Awada Onitsha in the 1930s which he said was a supplementary burial ground to the existing Old Cemetery at Odoakpu Onitsha.
He said that the all the letters written to the State Ministry of Health in that respect were not attended to hence this letter to the Mr. President, saying that there is no place for burying of dead bodies in Onitsha.
“Since the takeover of the graveyards by churches and others, the Nigerian Prisons and other agencies in the city cannot get a place to bury their inmates and loved ones. They have to seek an alternative burial ground to bury prisoners at the bank of a stream ‘Nkisi Onugbu that flows into the River Niger.
“Some other non-indigenes who can’t take their dead bodies home and deaths related to children sometimes dump the bodies tied with block weight or something else into the River Niger. Fishermen have time without number testified to seeing some skeletons of human beings at the bottom of the River Niger.
“Onitsha Gadi Mma Forum cannot compromise the coronation and burial ground ‘Udo Shrine’ of Obi Oreze up to Obi Ofala Okagbue, the 19th Kings that had so far ruled Onitsha from 1505 AD. We are appealing to president Buhari to intervene in this matter to correct the wrong and restore the rights of Onitsha indigenes and Nigerians both living and dead. We request the removal of any structure on the old and new cemeteries at Onitsha” the group stated.
