At least four people have been killed in a fresh communal clash in Ogobia community of Ugboju district in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
On September 14, this year, a former chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Major Lawrence Ugbor (rtd) and five others including a retired police officer were killed in a communal clash between two communities in the Ugboju district of Otukpo.
In February, last year, three people were killed in a similar rivalry between the two villages of Ondo and Ogobia in Ugboju district of Otukpo following an alleged land dispute which snowballed into crisis between suspected members of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was also gathered that the crisis was allegedly caused by two fighting brothers of same parents, Ijachi Udeh and Benjamin Udeh who are said to belonged to rival political parties of PDP and APC.
Spokesman of the police in the state, Moses Yamu, who confirmed the fresh killings, said that three people lost their lives on Saturday night while the fourth died on Sunday morning from injuries sustained when the fight broke out.
Yamu said the police was yet to establish the motive behind the killing, adding that it was not unconnected with the previous unrest in the area.
He however said that the police had been reinforced to restore normalcy in the vicinity while the command has commenced investigation in line with some lead available to it.
But, some locals in the trouble community told our correspondent that the current crisis had more undertones of cult-related activities than the previous crisis linked to a communal clash between the blood brothers.
One of the locals alleged that those killed were known cultists who fought against themselves, alleging a fifth death of a security personnel who has hacked by the rival cultists for preventing their activities in the area.