Around 60 people have perished over ownership of a fishing pond in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
This is due to a bloody communal crisis between Ologba and Egba communities of Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to Sunday Vanguard, the crisis began over a fallout of a lingering dispute between the fishing communities over a fishing pond.
The latest crisis between the sister communities comes a month after the conflict in Egba community which claimed close to 100 lives when suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded the community.
According to sources, “the truth is that there is no love lost between the two communities whose preoccupation is mainly fishing.
“Unfortunately, the bitter rivalry between the communities and bottled-up anger for one another has lingered for several years and sometimes resulting in intermittent skirmishes; this latest conflict could have claimed over 60 lives because more bodies are still being recovered from the two communities.
“As I speak to you today, (Saturday) the Egba people attacked Ologba during a funeral procession early this morning, after the Friday attack, just when the people were trying to bury their dead. So many people were killed in that attack and more bodies are still being recovered from the scene so we expect the causality figure to rise.”
Peoples Democratic Party’s deputy governorship candidate at the last elections,Sir John Ngbede who hails from the area, revealed that communities have been having long standing issues.
Ngbede also confirmed the recent crisis and said that many people now live as refugees at Obagaji, the Agatu Local Government Area Headquarters.
When contacted, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, explained that this was not the first clash and that the communities have been fighting over the fish pond for some time now.
Dagala, however, pointed out that the latest crisis allegedly broke out as a result of deep rooted suspicion by the Egba community on allegations that the Ologba people had organised last month’s deadly Fulani invasion against them.
The Police has however revealed that as of last count, the recorded 23 deaths due to crisis but they are yet to update the figures and the report as at press time.
