Suspected Jukun militias have been accused of
killing five people in Gyenku village in
Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
This is coming as a communal clash between youths
in 200 housing unit and Gadumo community both in Ajaokuta Local Government Area
of Kogi State also claimed the life of a fresh graduate identified as Ishaq
Mohammed.
The Chairman of Ukum LGA, Mr. Tor-Tyokaa Ibellogo,
who confirmed this in a telephone chat with journalists on Thursday, said the
attackers invaded the village early in the morning as the people were on their
farms.
"They killed five and injured one woman who is
receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital. No house was destroyed, they
only came to kill," he said.
Ibellogo said the joint committee on Tiv/Jukun crisis
had planned to visit him next Monday when this latest attack happened.
It should be noted that the attack is coming barely
a week after the Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) intervened in the crisis between
the two tribes in a bid to resolve it.
When contacted, the Benue State Police Public
Relations Officer, DSP Sewuese Anene, could not confirm the incident, stating
that all efforts to get any information from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO)
in the area as well as Area Commander of the local government failed as one of
them had his phone switched off and the other did not answer his call.
Meanwhile, the clash between some youths in 200
housing unit and Gadumo community in Kogi State has claimed the life of a fresh
graduate identified as Ishaq Mohammed.
It was learnt that three persons sustaining various
degrees of injuries in the Wednesday attack between the communities.
It was further gathered that the crisis between the
warring communities could be traced far back to 2013 when one of them insisted
that their land had been encroached by the other party.
Late Mohammed, a fresh graduate from Kogi State
Polytechnic, according to family source, was awaiting his compulsory National
Youth Service Corp (NYSC) call up before he met his untimely death.
The deceased, who is in his early 20, was the
younger brother of Alhaji Abdulsalam Muhammed of 200 housing unit, who had filed series of petition stopping the
other community from encroaching into their land.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of 200
housing unit in Lokoja, Alhaji Zakari Alhassan, told the media that the death of
Mohammed has brought sadness to the entire community, adding that justice must
take its course.
Alhassan allegedly accused the Prince of Gadumo
community, Suru Adama Dauda, and his father, who is the Etsu Ankuri of Gadumo,
Chief Adama Dauda, of masterminding the attack, saying: "Our boys were
working in our community site when some boys, fully armed with guns and cutlasses,
under the instruction of Prince Suru and
his father, attacked our people.
"This is not the first time they have been
trespassing on our land. They have their own boundary, but they insisted they must
take our land for their own selfish interest.
"They destroyed so many things. They shot at
Mohammed, and three others were seriously injured. One of our boys immediately
alerted the police to come to our rescue.
"We immediately rushed Mohammed to the Kogi
State Specialist Hospital, but he eventually died. The three others, who
sustained injuries, are currently admitted in an undisclosed hospital.
"We reported the case to the C Division of the Nigeria
Police Force in Lokoja, and they are currently carrying out their investigation
to bring the criminals to book. All we need is that justice must prevail. Whoever
is behind this heinous act must face the full wrath of the law no matter how
influential that person may be in the state."
In his reaction, the Etsu Ankuri of Gadumo, Chief Dauda, who
spoke through one of his subject, Abubakar Isah, denied the attack.
The monarch, while dismissing the speculation that one of
the accused, Prince Dauda, is on the
run, also spoke on the court judgment earlier raised by the 200 housing unit
community leader on who should be in control of the area.
According to him, "We did not send any body to attack
the people of 200 housing community. May be it was a miss up somewhere. On the
court case, which they spoke about, it’s not about who is in control of the
land, but is about title.”
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