According to a report by The Nation Newspaper on Sunday, February 22, 2026, grief have enveloped Awhum community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State after a 200-year-old tree known as Ukwu Akpu collapsed at Awhum Market, killing 11 persons and leaving several others injured.
For more than two centuries, it towered above rooftops and generations — “a living monument of wood and memory at the heart of Awhum Market in Awhum, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.” They called it Ukwu Akpu.
It stood about 70 metres tall, with massive branches said to be strong enough to yield thousands of planks and hip roots so wide, “a grown adult could hide inside them.”
Residents described the fallen giant as more than a tree. “The tree was not merely part of the landscape, it was the landscape,” community elders said.
The tallest and biggest in the community, they added, “a sentinel that watched over markets, marriages, disputes and funerals; a tree whose shadow had cooled traders and whose presence had anchored beliefs.”
But today, that giant lies broken on the earth it once dominated.
The tragic incident occurred during market hours when traders and buyers were going about their normal activities.
Witnesses said there was no immediate warning before the massive trunk and branches came crashing down, trapping victims beneath the weight of wood that had stood for generations.
Emergency responders and local volunteers battled for hours to rescue survivors and recover bodies from the debris.
The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, while families gathered at the scene in anguish, searching for loved ones.
The disaster has sparked questions within the community and beyond.
Many residents are asking whether signs of weakness in the ageing tree were ignored and if authorities could have taken preventive action to avert the tragedy.
Some community members said concerns had been raised in the past about the structural stability of the tree, given its age and size.
Others insisted that Ukwu Akpu had withstood storms and harsh weather for decades, making its sudden collapse difficult to comprehend.
Local leaders have called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
They are also urging government agencies to assess other old trees in public spaces across the council area to prevent similar occurrences.
As mourning continues in Awhum, the fallen Ukwu Akpu has become both a symbol of loss and a reminder of nature’s unpredictability — a centuries-old guardian whose final act has left a community shattered and searching for answers.
