Communal clash claims three lives Benue

Three persons were killed while several others sustained various degrees of injuries, following renewed fighting between Tiv residents of Agboughoul community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State. 

 Newsmen  gathered that the crisis erupted following a land dispute between the supposed original owners of Makurdi town, known as Tyoshin community and their settler brothers, known as Kparev. According to sources, the conflict, which has led to burning of houses, has rendered hundreds of residents of the community homeless just as many of the inhabitants have fled their homes for fear of being caught in the cross fire. 

 Eyewitness told Vanguard that there was sporadic shooting throughout last night between the feuding parties, leaving women and children scampering for safety. Many of those fleeing the area are said to have besieged a village near Makurdi metropolis. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent, Ejike Alaribe, said the police had moved their personnel into the crisis zone to forestal further destruction of lives and property in the community, adding, however, that he was not aware of any record of deaths so far.

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Hausa and Yoruba Clash leaves 20 people wounded

PALPABLE tension yesterday enveloped Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, during a violent clash between Yoruba and Hausa motorcyclists, known over union dues.

In the ensuing melee, 15 persons were wounded when the matter snowballed into a major crisis that nearly polarised the town between Hausa and Yoruba people.

The matter, which started at about 9.00a.m., as a minor intra-union squabble between two Yoruba and Hausa Motorcyclists at Atikankan area, the base of the Hausa/Fulani residents in the State, nearly snowballed into a full-blown ethnic clash, but for the quick intervention of the police and the state government.

A number of victims sustained injuries suspected to be machete cuts and they were being attended to at the Accident and Emergency Unit, EKSUTH, when newsmen visited the hospital.

The development paralysed commercial activities in the state capital, as Motocyclists, traders and some banks hurriedly closed down and stopped work for the day.

As at the time of filing this report, thick smoke was still emanating from the affected area from bonfires made by the okada Riders in solidarity with their affected members.

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu , who said nobody has been arrested in connection with the mayhem, explained that the matter started when an Hausa Motorcylist refused to pay N50 union dues, which ignited crisis between him and his Yoruba counterpart.

Maishanu said, on learning of the fracas, he immediately dispatched his men to the scene to curtail the situation, to prevent the matter from assuming a dangerous ethnic colouration.

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