Five communities that make up Uzuakoli, in the Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, are grappling with what residents describe as one of the worst cases of environmental damage in years. A deepening gully erosion has destroyed homes, swallowed farmlands and cut off access roads linking neighbouring communities, leaving several families displaced. What was once a settlement known for its rich agricultural activities is now battling a severe ecological crisis that residents say has continued to worsen over time.
According to those affected, the flood-triggered gullies continue to expand into residential areas, steadily eating away at the ground beneath houses and destroying critical infrastructure. As the ravines widen, they swallow more land and push closer to the homes still standing, turning what were once safe neighbourhoods into zones of daily uncertainty. Roads that once linked the community to its surroundings have been broken apart, isolating families and complicating movement in and out of the area.
The impact on farming, the backbone of the community, has been especially heavy. Residents lament that the access roads leading to their farms are no longer there, making it very difficult for rural farmers to reach their land. With the erosion having swallowed hectares of farmland, they warn that the crisis is not only about lost homes but also about their livelihoods, stressing repeatedly that the destruction of farm access will directly affect food security in the area.
There is also growing fear that the situation will deteriorate further. With rainfall becoming more intense, residents worry that the erosion will worsen in the coming weeks, putting even more lives and property at risk. Each new downpour, they say, threatens to expand the gullies further into what remains of their homes and farmland, deepening a disaster that has already displaced families and left many feeling helpless.
Determined to draw attention to their plight, residents, young and old, converged from different parts of the community and marched through the major roads, calling for urgent government intervention. The demonstration was intended to press home the scale of the emergency and to make clear that the community can no longer cope on its own, as the erosion continues to advance and access to farmland and neighbouring villages remains cut off.
In their appeals, the residents called on their senator and on the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who hails from the area, to step up efforts on their behalf. While acknowledging that he has been trying, they urged him to do more, saying the community is in a dire situation and needs stronger action to halt the erosion before it claims more homes and farmland in the affected villages.
The residents also acknowledged steps taken so far by the state government, noting that the Abia governor, Alex Otti, has sent his commissioner for environment to assess the situation on the ground. They expressed hope that the outcome of that visit would be fruitful and translate into concrete relief, as pressure mounts on the authorities to implement urgent measures to protect lives, homes and the critical public infrastructure threatened by the expanding gullies.