6 injured, shops razed as residents, drivers fight over well water in Kogi

Over six persons were said to have been critically injured, with several shops destroyed in  a clash between truck drivers and indigenes of Ilughagba in Ijumu Local Government Area of  Kogi State over access to the community water supply. Report from the community on Wednesday said  trouble started around 6pm on  Monday  when an indigene […]

Over six persons were said to have been critically injured, with several shops destroyed in  a clash between truck drivers and indigenes of Ilughagba in Ijumu Local Government Area of  Kogi State over access to the community water supply.

Report from the community on Wednesday said  trouble started around 6pm on  Monday  when an indigene of Ilughagba had an altercation with a truck driver at a well in the community.

The  truck driver was alleged to have forcefully removed the bucket of an indigenous person and put his own  while  fetching water at the only borehole in the community .

The news of the incident at the well reportedly spread into the community, pitching the indigenous people against the truck drivers, said to be non-indigenes.

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In  the ensued confusion, several shops were reportedly burnt, with many people sustaining various degrees of injuries.

Bolu Dauda, a resident of the community said,”The development sparked an argument between the indigenous people and the truck drivers which escalated, leading to six people critically injured.

“Several makeshift shops operating in the area were also razed. The injured were ferried to a hospital in the area.”

 The chairman of Ijumu Local Government Area, Alhaji Ibrahim Haruna, said there was rising tension over access to the community’s water supply in the past 24 hours.

He said, “As the situation escalated, disrupting normal activities and raising security concerns, security operatives were deployed to the scene to restore order and prevent further unrest.

“In a decisive move, we  mobilized personnel from the military, DSS, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kogi State Vigilante Service (KSVS), and the local hunters to maintain order.”

He urged all parties to maintain peace, while efforts were being made toward a sustainable water solution in the community.

When contacted, the police spokesman in the state, ASP William Aya, said he would link up with  the operatives in the area for details and get back to our reporter.

He was, however, yet to do so as at the time of filing the report.