By Akpokona Omafuaire
UGHELLI—TWO persons have been killed with many others sustaining injuries in renewed hostilities between warring Aladja community of Udu Local Government Area and Ogbe-Ijoh community of Warri South West Local Government Area, both in Delta State.
Vanguard gathered that sporadic gunshots heralded the sunny morning, yesterday, which later turned bloody for the warring communities.
The hostilities, Vanguard gathered, flowed from inability of the state government to demarcate the disputed boundary.
A source said several persons were shot resulting in the death of a 40-year-old Efe America in Aladja and a 29-year-old female wedding guest at Ogbe-Ijoh.
Aladja accuses army of aiding Ogbe-Ijoh
The source alleged that one Major Solomon Nwakwuda and his soldiers shot two of the four other victims in hospital receiving treatments, which include a popular Udje dancer and Mr. Robinson Onokahweri, an Olomu indigene.
While an eyewitness, who craved anonymity from Aladja alleged that gunmen from Ogbe-Ijoh attacked them at 11a.m., on Saturday, a leader from Ogbe-Ijoh said Aladja people started the shooting.
According to the Aladja source, “in the morning, when we were going about our normal businesses, we heard gun attack from Ighwre, the road leading to Okotomu, otherwise called Ogbe-Ijoh.
“Our President quickly put a call to security agents to alert them of the attack, the police responded swiftly but Major Solomon didn’t only come to shoot at us but also instructed his junior officers to block the road, so that those shot could not be taken to hospital for treatment.”
Vanguard gathered that the delay in taking the victims to the hospital led to the death of one of them as hospital authorities claimed that he was brought in too late.
Reacting to the attack, President-General of Aladja community, Prince Ibrahim Dumuje, thanked the Base Operations Officer, BOO, of the Nigerian Naval Service, Delta for his quick response to distress call that helped prevent the attacks from escalating.
Dumuje, who spoke through the President of the community, Shell-Okakotu Godfirst, called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the 27 years crisis between the two neighbouring communities by demarcating the left flank of the disputed land.
The President-General of Aladja community, said: “The left flank had been demarcated by the Delta State Government under former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. However, it seems the state government is footdragging, which is giving room for the frequent attacks on us by Ogbe-Ijoh people. “The remains of the young man, who died from gun shots, had been deposited at the morgue.
Aladja indigenes are the trouble makers— Ogbe-Ijoh
Countering the Aladja story, Monday Keme, Ogbe-Ijoh Leader of Thought and Principal Secretary to the Pere of Ogbe-Ijoh, said: “A week and five days ago, two suspects from Aladja at a very close range shot two students, who are still in the hospital receiving treatment.
“Then on Tuesday this week, same masked youths shot sporadically into Ogbe-Ijoh but no causality. On Saturday, same suspects from distance close to the Police Station fired shots into Ogbe-Ijoh and a lady, a wedding guest, who was outside the church, was hit by bullet and died immediately. That was what caused the recent clash.
“Because of government’s lack of political will to resolve the matter, we took the matter to one of the state’s high courts in Warri. Aladja has also filed their defence, we want the government to provide security while waiting for the court to decide,” he added.
Source: Vanguard
