A resurgence of violence in a long-standing land dispute between Ogwor and Umuobor villages in Ivo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State has led to the deaths of four individuals.
The conflict revolves around ownership of a piece of land known as ‘Elueke.’ In an effort to prevent further clashes, the Ebonyi State government declared the area a “buffer zone” in January, barring both communities from accessing it.
Confirming the recent killings on Thursday in Abakaliki, Chinasa Okorie, Coordinator of Akaeze Development Centre, described the incident as tragic and unnecessary.
“Three of the victims were reportedly part of a group that entered the disputed land to harvest yams on Wednesday, while another woman was killed on Monday,” Okorie said.
He called on both communities to embrace peace and respect the government’s directive.
“The state government has designated the land as a buffer zone, meaning no one should trespass,” he emphasized.
However, the Ebonyi State Police Command provided a different account. Police spokesperson Joshua Ukandu stated that the command was only aware of one fatality.
“So far, we have confirmed the killing of a woman on February 17. That is the information available to us. Investigations are ongoing, and security personnel have been deployed to the area,” Ukandu said.