Two killed, three missing in Ebonyi land dispute

No fewer than two people have been killed in Ogwor, a community in the Ishiagu clan, in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that three others were said to have remained missing as of the time of filing this report on Sunday.

An elderly woman from the area and a labourer, who was helping to cultivate her farmland, were said to have been killed by the assailants.

A reliable community source told our correspondent that the assailants were from Omobor village, Akaeze community, in the Ivo council area, which has been having a land dispute spanning decades.

According to the source, “Akaeze people invaded our farm and killed an aged woman working on her farm and also shot a man working in the same farm.”

It could not be independently verified if the assailants were from Omobor-Akaeze as alleged.

When contacted on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the incident.

He said, “Yes, two persons were killed. The police have deployed tactical teams to the area and restored normalcy. Investigation has commenced into the matter.”

The chairperson of the Ivo council, Chief Emmanuel Ajah, condemned the killings when PUNCH Metro contacted him on Sunday and vowed that the killers would not go unpunished.

According to him, “‘This is a resultant effect of a land dispute between the two communities which has lasted for decades, and my administration has done her best to handle this issue since we came on board.

“A committee I formed had mediated on this issue and came up with a resolution that the said land should be parcelled this November 2024; a solution adopted by the stakeholders of the two communities, but to my surprise, this evil act came up.”

The council boss noted he had visited the area alongside security agents during which he condoled with the victims’ families to foster a peaceful atmosphere in the communities involved.