- It was gathered that a bloody confrontation was caused by the boundary dispute between Idanre and Akure communities
An outbreak of violence between communities in Ondo State has reportedly claimed the lives of at least five people.
No fewer than five people have also been arrested in connection with the communal clash, the police in the State have said
The clash occurred at Gbalegi community in the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State on Friday.
It was gathered that a bloody confrontation was caused by the boundary dispute between Idanre and Akure communities.
According to Punch, after days of simmering tension in the communities in the border area, all hell broke loose on Friday as the situation escalated into a full-blown melee and bloody clash.
“Those killed were initially taken to the nearby police station before they were taken to a morgue of a hospital in Akure.” a source was quoted as saying.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident to newsmen.
He said the command swiftly swung into action as it sent its men to the scene to calm the situation.
She said, “We received a distress call that a group of thugs mobilised themselves to Gbalegi area (a disputed land between Akure and Idanre) attacking the people of the said area.
“The police, on receipt of the information, moved to the scene and arrested seven people who were in possession of charms and seven single barrel guns with cache of live ammunition and expended ones, the police further combed the nearby bush areas and found four corpses with bullet wounds.”
According to her, the CP had called for caution in handling cases related to boundary issues and urged communities involved in land disputes to “approach the law court for proper redress rather than resorting to self-help or violence.”