The shocking murder of eight innocent people in Aguleri and Umuoba Anam of Anambra State in South-East Nigeria has forced leaders of the two communities to subject their people to oath-taking before powerful local shrines in a bid to prevent future killings.

Representatives of the communities located in Anambra East and West local government areas respectively were on Wednesday taken to seven powerful shrines in the two council areas and made to take an oath not to kill, kidnap or maim anybody from either community ever again.

Chairman of Anambra East Local Government Area, Comrade Chinedu Obidgwe, said 12 monarchs, two transition committee members and over 40 other stakeholders that included representatives of the Army, Police and other security agencies witnessed the oath-taking. He said the event was chaired by Igwe NN Kelly, the traditional ruler of Igbariam and Chairman of Anambra East Traditional Rulers Council, and Igwe Sylverster Nnose, Chairman of Anambra West Traditional Rulers Council.

Comrade Obidgwe attributed the Wednesday killings that necessitated the oath-taking to criminals, saying it was not a communal war as speculated.

His position was shared by Mr. Mike Osita, Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra East, who said the killings were perpetrated by miscreants.

Trouble started when four people from Umuoba Anam were killed in Aguleri after reportedly being mistaken to be from Olu community. Umuoba Anam people had retaliated by killing four Aguleri people.

As tension heightened, soldiers and policemen had to take over the two otherwise friendly communities.

•Photo: Policemen (and soldiers) took over the two communities before the oath-taking.