ANOTHER outbreak of inter-communal violence between the people of Ediba and their Usumutong neighbours in the central senatorial district of Cross River State, weekend, claimed the lives of no fewer than 10 youth.
Hostilities between the two Bahomono clans have been raging for decades over ownership of a parcel of land.
Tension had been high for several weeks before the weekend violence, when youths from both communities met at the disputed land and engaged each other in machete and gun battle, leading to the death of about ten of them.
When Vanguard visited the place yesterday, the entire Usumutong community and several Ediba villages close to the scene of the fight had been deserted.
“My brother, if you are going there be careful because whether or not you are a visitor, if any of the sides catches up with you, your life will be at risk,” a villager in the nearby Ugep village told Vanguard reporter
The violence has cut off the busy highway that links Ugep in Cross River State with Abomege in Ebonyi State, as several road blocks have been mounted by combatants on both sides along the road.
Last year
In 2015, an Assemblies of God pastor, who was on exchange-of-pulpit mission to Usumutong, was beheaded by youths from one of the communities.
Ozi Obe Jimoh, the Cross River Stage Commissioner of Police, said anti-crime policemen had been dispatched to the area.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.