Nine Killed In Communal Clashes, Monarch’s Palace, Houses Burnt In Kogi State

The palace of the Ohiagba of Ebira Mozum community and several houses were also reportedly destroyed by invading Bassa Komu militias.

The clash which broke out on Thursday was a reprisal attack which was alleged triggered by the killing of a palm wine tapper and a farmer on Monday.
According to a Tribune report, the Ebira Mozum community was attacked on Thursday afternoon which left nine people dead with the traditional ruler’s palace and several other houses being razed down.

It was gathered that for about three hours, sporadic gunshots were fired at Udogbo, a Bassa community, in the early hours of Thursday, which caused some residents to panic and flee.

One Malam Yaro stated that the Thursday violence was an offshoot of last week’s crisis which claimed casualties on both sides.

According to him, the Thursday violence started with sporadic gunshots in Udogbo community with the people running helter-skelter.
He called on the state government to halt the bloodletting, saying that in the last four years, business activities had reduced due to incessant conflicts in the area.

Speaking on the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Williams Ayah, confirmed the renewed violence but said normalcy had returned to the area.

Meanwhile, the state government called for calm between the two communities.
In a statement on Friday, the government expressed concern over the incident but assured that the government was on top of the situation.