- Many people were also injured during the incident while many houses and farm produce worth millions of naira were destroyed.
At least seven persons have lost their lives in a deadly clash between Gbagyi and Bassa ethnic groups in Nasarawa state.
The clash, which happened in Kudu village of Toto Local Government Area of the middle belt State, was caused by land dispute.
Many people were also injured during the incident while many houses and farm produce worth millions of naira were destroyed.
It is gathered that trouble began when the Bassa ethnic group allegedly stormed a community where the Gbagyi people had settled for their farming activities.
A local privy to the clash bemoaned the frequency of the attack, adding that people can no longer sleep safely in their homes.
“The attacks are getting too much and the government seems to be silent about it. We can no longer sleep in our houses with our two eyes closed. We really need help in the Kudu community as soon as possible,” Punch quoted the source as saying.
Meanwhile, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said the government is putting in place measures to tackle insecurity and address communal clash in the LGA.
Sule disclosed this while presiding over an emergency executive council meeting which was held at the Government House, Lafia, on Monday.
According to him, even though the matter was not part of the agenda for the meeting, it had become necessary to bring it up before the executive council because lives had been lost due to the crisis in the LGA.
He further announced plans to convene a meeting involving the Gbagyi, Egbirra and Bassa communities to address the overriding mistrust and perceived mutual deep-seated resentment existing between them.
“The security agencies have already moved in there, and we will be able to get to the bottom of it.
“But most importantly, the moment we return from Abuja, we are going to have a meeting of the Gbagyi, the Egbirra and Bassa communities so that at the end of the day, we have to bring this to an end. It cannot go on in this unfortunate circle,” he stated.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts made to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, proved abortive as he did not respond to phone calls put across to his mobile lines