Two villages are razed and five persons killed in a violent dispute over ownership of a gravel site in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State
By Sunday Orinya/Makurdi
July 13 started as any other Sunday for residents of Omelemu, a rocky community in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State. After the day’s church service, Chief Inalegwu Alechenu, the village head, called on youths of the community to assist in getting gravel to reinforce the eroding foundation of the only primary school in the area. Having sighted heaps of gravel dumped by a construction company on the side of the major road, near Ataganyi, a neighbouring village, the Omelemu youths thought they could easily get what they needed without objection.
But they were disappointed. The people of Ataganyi denied them access to the site, claiming ownership of the land. They were said to have been nursing a grudge against Omelemu over a mango tree that was collected from them some years ago. An attempt by the Omelemu youths to assert their right to the gravel provoked the anger of the host community, resulting in a stone-throwing fight between the two communities. Sensing that trouble was brewing, some leaders from both communities ran to the police station at Ugbokpo, the local government headquarters, to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
On sighting the approaching policemen, the feuding parties ran away from the trouble spot. Thinking that they had quelled what looked like a minor communal disagreement, the policemen went back to their station. They were, however, jolted by a report later in the day that one Benjamin Paul, an indigene of Omelemu, had been killed at Ataganyi while on the way to his village. The 35-year-old Paul was said to be on his motorcycle when he was attacked and dragged into the bush, where he was slaughtered by people suspected to be from Ataganyi. His body was later found by a search party. Elijah Baba, another indigene of Omelemu, who was chased into the bush, had not been found at the time of filing this report.
However, Okoko Omagaji escaped from the assailants to tell his people how he and the others from Omelemu were attacked by their Ataganyi neighbours. But Abel Peter, a retired police inspector, was not that lucky. He was said to be in company of other persons searching for Baba when he was shot and killed at Ataganyi. Another unidentified person from Oshigbudu, a community in Agatu Local Government Area, was also killed.
The killings sparked off a war between the two communities. Mercenaries, according to sources, were hired from outside by the two sides to prosecute the war. Three days after, Ataganyi and Omelemu had been razed down and were deserted. Buildings, cars, motorcycles, electronics and generators were either completely burnt or demolished, with residents taking refuge in neighbouring communities.
When this magazine visited the two villages on 23 July, only livestock animals like goats and fowls were seen moving around undisturbed. However, a handful of young men from Omelemu, led by their village head, Alechenu, was found with the policemen sent to the area. Alechenu said his house was one of those burnt and accused the village head of Ataganyi of inciting his subjects to cause the mayhem.
The Divisional Police Officer of Apa Local Government, Joseph Okeke, expressed shock at the level of destruction and said he has held series of meetings with the local government chairman in a bid to bring lasting peace to the area. He told this magazine that the people are reluctant to return to their homes in spite of the assurance given them by the police that there will be no further attacks.
He revealed that the village head of Ataganyi, Chief Alexander Adah Oga, has been arrested by the police. “He is being detained at the CID Headquarters in Makurdi for investigations,” he disclosed.
Mr. Cornelus Odeje, Chairman of the local government, said he is worried by the ugly development. “We never had this kind of crisis in this local government before now. In fact, there has never been any disagreement in this place that has resulted in fighting before not to talk of using dangerous weapons like guns and matchetes,” he lamented. He said he is doing everything to ensure that those who have fled their homes return to start a normal life.
Chief Dennis Abutu, the member representing Apa constituency in the state House of Assembly, on 22 July, moved a motion calling on the state government to provide more security to enable the people return to the deserted villages. Chief Abutu told TheNEWS that the whole crisis was like a nightmare because his people had never exhibited any trait of violence before. “Apa people are not violent. I really don’t know where this one comes from,” he claimed. The lawmaker promised to do everything to ensure that necessary legislations are made to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, observers fear that the current crisis in the local government has turned the Apa/Agatu axis into another volatile area in the state. Earlier in the year, three people, including a traditonal ruler were killed in Agatu, a neighbouring local government, in a violent disagreement over the ownership of a fish pond.
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