Tension in Ughelli South as Assah, Omafuvwe Communities vlash at festival

Tension is currently high between Assah and Omafuvwe communities of Ewu-Urhobo as several persons have been injured and houses destroyed over an alleged unresolved dispute among the Indigene in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

It was learned that one of the communities was having a traditional festival and it is forbidden for anyone to enter into the bush during the festival period.

A community source who spoke on anonymous condition to newsmen revealed that a message was sent to a nearby communities that it is forbidden for anybody to enter into their bush to farm.

"But a youth from the other community defiled the order and went into the bush to hew down logs of wood with motor saw and unfortunately he was apprehend by our community members.

"He was brought before the elders of the community and was fine a male goat and N100,000 to appease the gods of our land and the people after desecrating their land.

"The arrest of the suspect triggered anger from our neighboring community and they mobilized their youths to attack us with guns, dynamites and other sophisticated weapons. 

"They set the man who was arrested free, destroyed our community chairman house and that of the mother with dynamites and many people were injured in the process. 

"They traced our people to our neighboring Bedeseigha and other  communities for reasons best known to them and a pregnant woman was brutally manhandled

"The mother of our community chairman narrowly escaped being kidnapped and killed by the angry youths if not for a good Samaritan that save her while returning from market at about 2:am." Source from one of the communities disclosed. 

Though the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Edafe Bright could not be contacted but a senior police officer from the Ughelli Area command confirmed the incident. 

According to the security source "I learnt a man from a community name withheld, entered into a bush belonging to the other community, during a feast day of the community, and it's forbidden to do such thing on that day. So the man was apprehended and asked to pay a fine

"This triggered angered among the youths of the community, who lay claims that the area the man was cutting the wood belongs to them and they mobilized into community on the night of 25th April and burnt some houses and allegedly throw a dynamite."