Many injured in Osun communal clash weekend, with many others injured and communities numbering seven completely sacked in one of the incidents.
In Benue State, not less than 25 people were feared dead in a renewed clash between Fulani mercenaries and Agatu gamers in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The clash, which an insider said started early Saturday, raged till the evening.
Seven communities were said to have been completely sacked by the rampaging Fulani men.
Last Thursday, two communities were said to have been attacked by the Fulani in a raid that resulted in the killing of three persons, injuring of many others and displacement of about 6,000 people.
Of the latest report, a source noted that the Fulani mercenaries invaded the seven communities in a commando style, killing and maiming members of the communities.
The member representing the area in the state House of Assembly, Honourable Sule Audu, who spoke with Sunday Tribune on telephone, confirmed the invasion by the Fulani mercenaries, adding that the crisis was still fierce as of the time he was speaking.
He also said he could not ascertain the number of casualties.
7 killed in soldiers, Boko Haram gunfire exchange
In kano, the Nigerian military said two soldiers and five suspected members of the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, were killed in shootouts early Saturday morning at Hotoro, on the outskirts of the town.
It will be recalled that Kano has been relatively peaceful in recent months.
But news of the shattered peace came as spokesman for the Joint Task Force (JTF) Captain Ikedichi Iwehia, told journalists that the suspected Boko Haram members planned simultaneous suicide attacks in the Federal capital territory (FCT) and Kano.
In an email sent to reporters, Iwehia said “intelligence available indicates that the terrorists were in the process of finalising the plans.”
He said in the early hours of the day, a team of the JTF stormed two residences at Hotoro Dan Mark as part of the ongoing search operations by the troops, and that they were confronted by the gunmen.
He said in the ensuing shootout, five of the suspected terrorists and two soldiers lost their lives, adding that the security forces also confiscated about 50 AK-47 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Iwehia said security was being tightened in Kano, amid fears that insurgents were fleeing to the city from the three North-Eastern states currently under state of emergency.
Tension in Osun as communal clash erupts over land
In Osun, barely two weeks after communal hostilities broke out between Oba-Ile and Oba-Oke communities in Olorunda Local Government Area of the state, the people of Ede, on Saturday, engaged the Ido-Osun community in another bloody clash, resulting in critical injuries for many residents.Both Ede and Ido-Osun are within the precinct of Egbedore Local Government Area of the state.
The bloody clash which erupted between the two communities in the early hours of Saturday, Sunday Tribune reliably gathered, lasted for almost four hours before riot policemen could bring the situation under control.
Credible sources informed our correspondent that the development generated tension and chaos in the communities as many shut their doors, just as shop owners hurriedly closed their business premises while the violence lasted.
Investigation by Sunday Tribune indicated that trouble ensued when it was discovered that the people of Ede had erected a sign post bearing Ede community on the site of the airport project located in Ido-Osun.
The new airport project, being funded by the state government is located between Ido-Osun and Ede, but the two towns claimed ownership of the land.
Indication that the airport project may spark off violence emerged last week when the Olojudo of Ido-Osun, Oba Adedapo Aderemi Sapoyoro, had, during a public forum, tagged Gbangba Dekun, in Ede, told the gathering, including Governor Rauf Aregbesola, that Ido-Osun did not share boundary with Ede.
According to a source, “Unexpectedly, the people of Ido-Osun woke up yesterday and discovered that Ede community had erected a sign post with the inscription “This land belongs to Ede” on the site of the airport project.
As a result of the discovery, the people of Ido-Osun mobilised themselves to the site and uprooted all the sign posts erected by the people of Ede community.
An eye witness told Sunday Tribune on telephone that the people of Ede, who were mostly youths, attacked Ido-Osun residents and many of them were beaten to pulp before the police team arrived the scene of the incident.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Osun State Police Command, Mrs Folashade Odoro, confirmed the incident, disclosing that four persons had been arrested over the clash, while further investigation was ongoing.
She assured that normalcy had been restored in the warring communities.
