LAGOS MARCH 12TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The perennial land dispute over a parcel of land between Oghior and Ukpiovwin Communities, both of Udu Local Government Area of Delta State has resulted to bloody clashes between the communities claiming three lives in the wake of renewed clashes on Wednesday, while property worth millions of naira were also destroyed by the ravaging youths from both ends.
The bodies of the deceased were dumped by the Oghior Community townhall according to sources within the community as newsmen were not allowed to move close to the townhall because of the inflamed passions and anger of the Oghior youths who lost the three youths to attack allegedly launched by Ukpiovwin youths on Wednesday afternoon.
The latest disturbances started when the buyer of the said land, measuring 100 by 50 meter which was already a subject of litigation between both communities, mobilized Ukpiovwin youths to the site for construction works.
Our source disclosed that the attempt to develop the plot was resisted by Oghior youths resulting in rising tempers between the contending and hitherto peaceful communities.
This prompted the President General of the Union of Udu Communities, who incidentally is from Ukpiovwin community, to summon a meeting of the leaders of the communities to his house in Ukpiovwin for settlement of 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’’, our source, who spoke on condition of anonymity added.
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.
The DPO, we were told mobilized to the communities and schedule a peace meeting with both community leaders but another round of attack was allegedly launched in the afternoon of Wednesday by Ukpiovwin youths leading to the death of the victims which number was put at three by some eye witness.
When this correspondent visited the community on Wednesday evening, almost all entrances to Oghior community were blocked by angry youths. The few youths who spoke to our correspondent expressed bitterness with the development.
As at the time of filing this report, Udu community leaders and the Local Government Council were making efforts to calm both communities and make for peace.
Daily Independent