allAfrica.com: Nigeria: How Fishing Pond Tore Two Communities Apart (Page 1 of 1)

Restive youths in the hinterlands of Benue are gradually turning the agrarian state into a theatre of war, the latest clash is the bloody clash between two fishing communities in Agatu LGA over the ownership of a fishing pond which has left no fewer that three persons dead and 15 houses razed with properties worth millions of Naira destroyed.

These incessant outbreak of civil strife seemed have rubbished the peace efforts of the present administration. The authorities were shocked despite having been making desperate efforts to checkmate similar outbreaks around the Konshisha-Gwer axis.

According to the Council Chairman of Agatu LG Mrs. Eghiaruwa Owakoyi who briefed the visiting Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters Col. B. Abohor(rtd) and the Benue State Commissioner of Police Mr. Ibiyinka Kayode and top brass of the command who were on a fact finding tour of the affected areas, the crisis between the Egba and Ologba communities of the council over the same pond dates back to 1950s an assertion also collaborated by the paramount ruler of Agatu land.

The physically mover Mrs. Ehiaruwa lamented the magnitude of the latest skirmishes which according to her took a very dangerous dimension as the warring communities were alleged to have engaged the services of mercenaries and militia to prosecute the war.

Recounting efforts made by her administration to quell the crisis that has crippled activities in the very backward community which is located some 250 kilometers from the state capital.

"The paramount ruler of Agatu land called my attention to a looming crisis between the people of Ologba and Egba communities over a disputed fishing pond, and we decided to call their leaders to resolve the matter, but we were taken aback when information suddenly reached us of shooting in the area which left two persons seriously injured". This was followed by another intensive fighting the next day with 2 persons reportedly shot dead, I at this point ran to Makurdi to confer with the CP who drafted a detachment of his men to the war zone to quell the crises", Owakoyi said.

The first female chairman of Agatu LG explained further that to her chagrin early in the week she was in her office consulting with her Exco members and security agencies when information filtered in that fight had escalated and yet another person had been gunned down, several persons injured and houses razed.She disclosed that there are reported cases of missing persons with another report of the ambush of an elder who after attending a peace meeting was waylaid and slaughtered.

She lamented that stakeholders in both communities deliberately shunned several peace meetings called by the council to resolve the crises adding that she would not rest until peace is brought to the area.

Reacting to the level of destructions in the communities, Col Abohor who literally bundled the paramount rulers of the warring communities to a peace meeting at the LG secretariat registered his team's displeasure at what he described as the total disregard for the sacrosanct nature of human life by the feuding communities.

But stating the reasons for the unending war for the fish pond, the paramount head of Ologba, Chief Sule Aboh maintained that his people are in war with their neighbors because they continuously deliberately stray into a fishing pond that they know fully well does not belong to them.He explained that the land on which the pond is situated belong to his people only to discover lately that their neighbors were fishing therein when his people had gone there to fish and attempts to stop them ended up in the heavy use of fire power.

But in a swift reaction, the paramount head of the Egba community, Chief Oluma Ajaama whose subjects suffered heavy loses as a result of the skirmishes debunked the assertions of Chief Aboh, arguing that the pond belonged to his people saying that in the heat of the crises years ago a Makurdi Area Court had ordered for the demarcation of the land and in the process ceded the pond to his. Chief Ajaama accused the paramount ruler of Agatu LG of complicity in the matter an allegation that Oche Agatu denied vehemently stressing that the accusation lacked merit.

But the CP warned them severely stressing that he was not in the area to plead with them to lay down their arms. He advised those in the habit of financing such clashes to desist as the communities are being torn into shreds."My mission here is not to beg anybody but to confirm what has been happening here, I am warning everybody now that this matter is being investigated and we have arrested and will continue to arrest culprits".

Enough of these wars, 3 persons are already dead because of a fish pond freely given to you by God. I learnt that you engaged the services of militia men to help you prosecute this deadly war. I advise you in your own interest to go now disarm and disengage them, because I am not prepared to lose innocent police men to this senseless war."And for your information I will not hesitate to arrest any royal father that is fingered in these crises to serve as deterrent to others; please stop sending the children of the less privileged to the war fronts to die while yours are safely protected", the CP warned sternly.

Mr. Kayode further directed that all roads blocked by the warring communities be reopened immediately even as he barred further fishing at the disputed pond.

While reacting to the wanton destruction of lives and properties in the area, Col Abohor who ordered the immediate arrest of a 65 year old man for yet to be elucidated reasons directed that the paramount rulers of the warring communities be bundled to Makurdi where they will be made to sign a peace pact warning that the government was ready to effect the arrest of every warmonger in the town for peace to reign in Agatu.

Meanwhile narrating his ordeal to Saturday Vanguard a middle aged man Ochefije Andrew, whose houses were burnt after his neighbors were shot dead by the rampaging Ologba militia explained that his parent's houses were burnt down by the mercenaries from the enemy village stressing that the quick intervention of the police has saved the villages from total extinction.

In the mean time the state police command has dispatched a detachment of its mobile force to the communities to reinforce those already on ground as palpable tension still hangs in the air in the deserted communities while daily arrest of all those deeply involved in the crises is on going.

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