Three persons were on Thursday feared dead and 17 allegedly injured in a renewed bloody fiasco between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja communities in Warri South West and Udu local government areas of Delta State.
Two allegedly died on the side of Ogbe-Ijoh and one on Aladja’s side during the fierce clash that witnesses said began at about 8:00 a.m.
Twelve persons and five others allegedly sustained varying degrees of injuries on the sides of Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja respectively.
A youth leader in Aladja, Mr Wisdom Onatomre, gave the deceased’s name as Kelly Onoduaire, 21, and the injured five as Bokwe Kingsley, Cassius Owolo, Anthony Onoriode, Wilson Patani and Victory Austine.
Chief Monday Keme from Ogbe-Ijoh, when contacted by Nigerian Tribune, gave the names of the dead as Joseph Karegha and Ebi Alelei. He promised to send the list of names of the injured 12 persons.
As of the time of filing this report, hordes of residents of the two communities were reportedly fleeing to Warri metropolis just as an admixture of security agencies had been drafted to douse the tension in the area.
Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja communities, each of Ijaw and Urhobo stocks respectively, have been on each other’s jugular over a boundary land dispute that has been on for ages with successive state governments lacking the political will to implement white papers churned out by various committees set up to look into the imbroglio that has led to countless loss of lives and properties.
As usual, both communities are accusing each other of drawing the first sword early Thursday.
Chief Keme of Ogbe-Ijoh, in a statement, said the Thursday attack was launched by Aladja intruders against Isaba community a sister community of Ogbe – Ijoh at about 8:45 a.m while another attack was launched against Ogbe-Ijoh which lasted for about two hours.
He alleged that besides the two persons confirmed dead, the number of more deaths were yet to be ascertained, adding: “five persons were critically wounded and now receiving treatment.”
However, Onatomre could not touch on what led to the Thursday mayhem of which the material casualty has yet to be ascertained.
Chief Keme described as “very unfortunate” the Delta State government refusal to implement its findings on ‘how to resolve the boundary dispute between the two communities.”
He called on “the Federal Government to intervene as the Governor of Delta State from all indications lacks the political will to enforce his own pronouncements in an attempt to resolve the boundary dispute.”
Youth president of Aladjs, Onotomre, while narrating what transpired, said his community woke up to sounds of gunshots from Isaba axis from about 7:00 a.m, which was followed up with
similar sounds from the Ogbe-Ijoh axis from 9:00 am.
similar sounds from the Ogbe-Ijoh axis from 9:00 am.
He said: “About 7:00 a.m. this morning we started hearing firing from the Isaba axis. That was not strange because we’ve always been hearing such in the
past that the soldiers would tell us to calm down.
“But after this morning’s incident, at about past 9:00 a.m. we started hearing shooting from the Ogbe-Ijoh axis, from both left and right.
“It was in that process when the Mobile Policemen were exchanging firing with them that some of our boys went inside the bush to see if any of our people were within that territory, to bring them out, that
one person was shot dead and about four sustained injuries. They were shot by the Ogbe-Ijoh people. ”
The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, when contacted on phone, said he was not aware of the mayhem, adding that he would confirm from the Area Commander, Warri, and get back.
Zanna, who expressed shock at the new development, did not get back before press time as promised.
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