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Communal Clash: Hoodlums destroy 50 houses, injure 11 persons in Ebonyi
A recent communal clash in Ebonyi State has reportedly resulted in the destruction of no less than 50 houses by suspected hoodlums.
Many innocent members of the community were shocked by the tragedy, which happened in the hamlet of Ndiefi-Ishieke in the Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, numbering over 50, went into 43 compounds situated within a communal land, shot some villagers and destroyed their buildings.
It was also learnt that 11 persons were injured and 300 households were displaced in the affected community.
Confirming the incident, an indigene of Ndiefi-Ishieke village, Dr Nwoba Benjamin, who decried the attack unleashed on the villagers by the hired thugs, alleged that the cause of the incident was because the family of Okuku-Ede of Igbojima kindred was laying claim to communal land.
According to sources, the claim caused agitation among the villagers.
They noted that the communal land didn’t belong to a particular family but to every indigene of the affected village.
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Benjamin alleged that some key stakeholders of Igbojima kindred were behind the attack on the innocent villagers, who insisted the communal land was not meant for a particular family as many people from the village had over the years gotten a fair share of the communal land.
He further alleged that the thugs were led by Ebonyi LGA Chairman, Chinedu Uburu, as none of the hoodlums has been arrested so far.
In his words, “The thugs from nowhere, on Monday, unleashed mayhem on the villagers that opposed the ownership of the land to a particular family.
“The thugs were hired and were shooting sporadically. They were led by some members of the Igbogima kindred. About 100 buildings were destroyed. There’s a communal land in the village, which the community usually share with indigenes of the village when you grow up and get married.
“Okuku-Ede family claimed that it was their land. One of them died and was buried in the Community land even as the community refused such development. At about 3a.m of the fateful day, the thugs started destroying people’s properties. I was reliably informed that SWAT saw them and didn’t do anything.”
The Ebonyi Council Chairman, Mr Uburu, however, denied any involvement in such an act, saying such allegations were directed at tarnishing his image.
