‎FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‎25th July, 2026

‎CEHRAWS URGES ABIA GOVERNMENT TO MATCH RELOCATION ADVISORY WITH HUMANITARIAN ACTION FOR UZUAKOLI EROSION VICTIMS

‎The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society, (CEHRAWS), has expressed concern over the Abia State Government’s advisory directing residents of Amamba Uzuakoli in Bende Local Government Area to relocate from communities devastated by gully erosion without simultaneously announcing concrete measures for their temporary shelter, relief and rehabilitation.

‎While commending Governor Alex Chioma Otti for promptly directing the Commissioner for Environment to assess the ecological disaster, CEHRAWS maintains that asking displaced residents to vacate their homes must be accompanied by immediate humanitarian support. Families who have lost their homes, farmlands and livelihoods should not be left to fend for themselves.

‎The scale of destruction in Amamba Uzuakoli has clearly assumed the dimensions of a humanitarian emergency requiring urgent government intervention. Beyond assessment visits and public assurances, the priority must now be to protect lives, preserve human dignity and provide safe accommodation for affected residents.

‎Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” In the same vein, the National Emergency Management Agency (Establishment) Act provides the framework for coordinated disaster response, relief, rehabilitation and support for victims of emergencies. Accordingly, the Abia State Government should immediately activate the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), formally engage the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), establish a temporary Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp or other safe shelters, and provide emergency relief pending permanent resettlement and ecological restoration.

‎CEHRAWS is particularly concerned that the relocation advisory was not accompanied by any clear plan for emergency shelter, food, healthcare, psychosocial support or other humanitarian assistance. Relocation without support only transfers the burden of the disaster to already traumatised victims.

‎CEHRAWS also calls on the Government to ensure that the people of Uzuakoli do not suffer the same neglect experienced by victims of the police-facilitated arson (State-Sponsored Mass Atrocity) at the Okojumbo axis of Ndiegoro Community in Aba South Local Government Area in 2019. Many of those victims were left without meaningful rehabilitation or sustained government support. The prolonged neglect reportedly deepened their trauma, with several sadly losing their lives prematurely due to depression, frustration and the devastating consequences of displacement. The people of Uzuakoli deserve a different outcome: one defined by compassion, prompt intervention and sustained government support.

‎CEHRAWS further urges the Government to collaborate with NEMA, the National Ecological Project Office, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and development partners to secure both immediate humanitarian assistance and long-term erosion control measures.

‎To safeguard affected communities, CEHRAWS recommends that the Government should:

‎✓ Establish a temporary IDP camp or other safe accommodation for displaced families.

‎✓ Activate SEMA and immediately request emergency intervention from NEMA.

‎✓ Provide food, clean water, healthcare, sanitation facilities and psychosocial support.

‎✓ Conduct a transparent assessment of affected households for rehabilitation and resettlement.

‎✓ Declare the affected areas disaster-risk zones and restrict access to prevent further casualties.

‎✓ Fast-track permanent erosion control, ecological restoration projects, and Early Warning and Response System.

‎✓ Develop a comprehensive disaster preparedness and climate resilience strategy for erosion-prone communities across Abia State.

‎CEHRAWS stands in solidarity with the people of Amamba Uzuakoli and commends the community leadership for taking proactive measures to protect lives by restricting access to dangerous erosion sites.

‎The true test of responsive governance is not merely advising citizens to relocate, but ensuring they are protected, sheltered and supported until they can safely rebuild their lives. The people of Uzuakoli deserve coordinated humanitarian assistance, not uncertainty. This is the time for decisive, compassionate and people-centred leadership.

‎Signed

‎Okoye, Chuka Peter.

‎Executive Director, CEHRAWS

‎cehraws@gmail.com | +234(0)808-035-1242 (WhatsApp only)

‎Facebook: @cehraws

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