By Ovie Okpare
Palpable tension has enveloped Obiaruku and its neighbouring communities in the Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State when youths from Umusume and Obi-Edike communities clashed which resulted in the killing of at least two persons.
NIGER DELTA TODAY Online reliably gathered that scores of persons sustained life threatening gunshots injuries from both communities as the fracas reportedly forced schools, market and commercial activities to shut down on Wednesday.
The renewed crisis, it was learnt, is not unconnected with the aged-long land dispute between the people of Umusume, an Obiaruku community and Obi-Edike quarter in Obinomba community in Umukwata kingdom.
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Trouble was said to have started when youths from Obinomba community who were celebrating Ukwata festival encroached into Umusume community in Obiaruku.
The action of Obinomba people was said to have provoked Umusume community, a situation, which led to fatal clash between the two communities.
The crisis was learnt to have started on Tuesday night but aggravated on Wednesday morning following the killings of two youths
Multiple sources from the area who confirmed the development on Wednesday night to NIGER DELTA TODAY Online said security had been beefed up in the area as sporadic gunshots forced residents of the twin communities to desert their homes.
One of the sources who simply identified himself as Solomon alleged that scores of persons who sustained injuries had been rushed to hospital in neighbouring university community of Abraka in Ethiope East LGA for treatment.
“Obinomba was supposed to be celebrating their Ukwata Festival by now but some persons from Obinomba in Umukwata Kingdom encroached into Umusume, an Obiaruku community to celebrate their festival. That angered the Umusume community.
Before now, Umukwata kingdom and Umusume have been having land dispute. So, Umusume interpreted their coming to celebrate Ukwata festival in their domain to mean possession of their territory which resulted in the crisis.
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“As at on Wednesday afternoon, two persons have been killed and many persons injured. I don’t really know the deceased by names but one of them is not an indigene of the community. Some houses in both communities were also touched. Schools were forced to close at about 11am on Wednesday.”, the source added.
A senior police officer from the Obiaruku Police Station confirmed the development when contacted but added that relative peace has returned to the warring communities following police intervention.
However, the State Police Commissioner, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, could not be reached at the time of filing this report for official response.
