2 Dead, 8 Injured In Enugu Communal Clash
At least two persons have been reported dead and eight others injured on Wednesday following a communal clash between two Enugu communities.
The two rival communities, Umuonu in Amechi, Awkunanaw and Akwuke, Awkunanaw in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State engaged each other in a gun battle over a long standing land dispute.
They have been at loggerheads over the true ownership of a portion of land where one of the telecom industries, MTN sited their base station.
Although the police confirmed only one person dead, a resident of the area who spoke with DailyPost said he saw two dead bodies.
It was gathered that about 11 o’clock in the morning, some youths came out in their numbers from both communities and engaged in altercation over the ownership of the land.
DailyPost learnt that in the ensuring scuffle, one person was shot and he died instantly while the second person gave up the ghost shortly after sustaining serious gunshot wound.
Further investigations revealed that the area has been in dispute for over 50 years, with three different communities laying claims to the ownership of the land.
They are Umuonu, Akwuke and Amagu.
For now, the Akwuke people are inhabiting the area and selling the land, whereas Umuonu and Amagu people engage in demolishing buildings under construction in the area unless the owners of the property give them reasonable amount of money.
This practice has made land speculators to be wary of buying land from Akwuke people because they don’t want trouble with either Umuonu or Amagu.
However, investigation also revealed that Akwuke people seem to be the rightful owners of the land as the only secondary school in the area, bears Akwuke Comprehensive School, so also Science Equipment Development Institute, SEDI, Akwuke, all owned by the state and federal government respectively.
The spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident stated that only one person died whereas some others are seriously injured and are undergoing treatment at hospitals.
He disclosed that only one person has been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Source: Legit.ng
