Women, Children killed as Ebonyi, Benue communities renew agelong rivalry

At least 28 people were killed in some communities in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, bordering Ebonyi State.

Our correspondent gathered that the communal crisis first broke out in Ebonyi, then spiraled into the adjourning rural villages of Ado in Benue communities.

Locals said most of those killed were women and children, thus, renewing and agelong rivalry between communities in Ebonyi and Benue states.

Council Chairman of Ado LGA, James Oche, who confirmed the incident to journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday night, said crisis erupted after the “desecration” of a shrine located in an Ebonyi community.

He said that trouble started when a group of people who were angered by the desecration of their shrine in Ebonyi community took laws into their hands to unleash terror on their neigbouring Ezza community in Benue.

Oche said one of the largest markets in Ezza community was completely destroyed in the process, adding however that security men have been deployed to quell the crisis.

“The crisis is between Effuim and Ezza people, the crisis started from Ebonyi state and escalated to communities in Benue State.

“What I heard was that someone from one of the communities desecrated one of their shrines and instead of settling their crisis in Ebonyi they moved the crisis to Benue where over 28 people have been killed on this side as at last count today,” the council chairman said.

Benue State Commissioner of Police, Wale Abass, told journalists that the crisis was between Ebonyi people but spread to border communities in Benue.

Abass denied the figure of casualties, saying no one except security men could access the troubled area.

(Daily Trust)