3 PEOPLE KILLED IN EBONYI COMMUNAL CLASH

At least three people have been killed in a communal clash in Ebonyi State, Ebonyi state police command can confirm. The tragic clash involved the people of Onweonweya and Mkpumaekweoku communities both in Izzi Local Government Area of the state.

The incident led to the destruction of of landed properties worth millions of naira and the setting ablaze of buildings in the area. On Monday, Governor Umahi visited the troubled communities to asses the level of destruction in the area. 

Ebonyi state command public relation officer [PPRO], Jude Madu, while confirming the development, said the police was prepared to forestall law and order in the area. We are aware of the misunderstanding in Izzi land. We now have an official report that there was a communal clashes between the two neughbouring villages, both in Ndieze, Inyimagu community in Ominyi development center, Izzi local government area. 

The DC Coordinator, Njoku Cajetan reported the clash to the police in the area. And the dispute is over a parcel of rice farmland. As a result, the DPO and his men moved in quickly to save the situation. The CP also mobilized from the state headquarters and by the time our team got there, we discovered that some houses were razed by fire orchestrated by the invading Onweonweya people. Also, part of the farmland was razed and we were able to recover three bodies, out of which two have been confirmed dead," he said.

The PPRO who maintained that the command was yet to make any arrest added that it has commenced investigation into the matter. The identities of the three persons were yet to be known at the time of filing this report.

In a reaction, Governor Umahi has ordered the state government's takeover of the disputed land. Umahi said the measure was to forestall future bloodshed between the people of Mkpumaekweoku and Ogwuzeru-Onweya communities.