Two persons were reportedly killed Wednesday, over a land dispute between Oghior and Ukpiovwin communities in Udu council area of Delta state.
Another is said to be battling for his life at an undisclosed hospital, following the clash that also saw properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
The Nation reports that the deceased were indigenes of Oghior, one of the warring communities.
Angry youths were said to have dumped the corpses at the community town hall, and then set bonfires and barricades on major roads within the community.
Sources disclosed that trouble started when an alleged buyer of the disputed land mobilized youths from Ukpiovwin to the area to develop the piece of land measuring 100/50m.
However, Oghior youths were reported to have resisted the attempt to develop the land, which was already a subject of litigation.
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This led to frayed nerves that further escalated into the crisis which resulted in the two deaths.
President-general of the Union of Udu Communities, who incidentally is from Ukpiovwin, immediately called for a meeting of community leaders in order to resolve the matter.
“After the meeting, the Oghior delegation could not find any means of transportation out of Ukpiovwin to Oghior as all roads to Ukpiovwin were already closed to traffic because of the crisis.
“The youth chairman of Ukpiovwin offered to take the Oghior delegation home only to be attacked in Oghior on Tuesday. The attack prepared the ground for the clashes which led to the unfortunate death of the victims on Wednesday.
“By Wednesday morning, the Chairman of Udu Local Government Council, Chief Jite Brown, directed the DPO of Ovwian-Aladja police division to mobilize to the crisis zone to calm the contending forces and make for peace,” a source said.
Unfortunately, while waiting for security operatives to be deployed to the troubled communities, youths from Ukpiovwin reportedly launched a fresh attack on Oghior which led to the killing of two youths Wednesday.
The Vice-Chairman of Udu LGA, Mr. Justice Iyasere, confirmed the clash in the area but could not give details on the number of persons killed.
According to him, Udu community leaders and the Local Government Council were making efforts to calm both communities and resolve the issue.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Onome Onowakpoyeya, confirmed the incident to The Nation.
She said, “two persons have died, while the other one is in the hospital. There is intensive patrol in that area by the Police in a bid to calm the situation. And I think there is a meeting between the two communities, together with the Police, to see how the issue can be addressed”.
