Police investigate new clash between Rivers communities

The Rivers State Police Command has started looking into a renewed clash that happened on Thursday night. This fight involved people from Eleme and Okrika local government areas in the state.

The violence is linked to a long-standing land dispute between the two communities near the Port Harcourt Refining Company. It led to the burning of a vehicle and raised tension in the area.

Locals reported that many properties, including vehicles, were damaged during the clash.

A community source revealed that two people went missing after the incident. A search team has been put together, and the police have been informed.

A video that went viral on Friday showed a Hilux vehicle on fire while gunshots rang out in the background. This scared many residents, forcing them to flee for safety.

In light of the ongoing violence, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Obarilomate Ollor, announced that all real estate activities in the council area would be suspended immediately. He accused land grabbers of causing the crisis.

In a statement released on Friday, Ollor claimed that land speculators, along with some estate developers and thugs, were invading ancestral lands along the Woji, Aleto, Alesa Link Road and the Akpajo axis of the Port Harcourt Ring Road.

He warned that anyone caught breaking this directive would be prosecuted.

“Our farmers are now forced to pay illegal fees to access their farmlands. Indigenous landowners face harassment and extortion when they try to inspect or protect their properties.

“This unacceptable situation has led to loss of lives, property destruction, and an increasing threat to peace and lawful economic activities in Eleme,” he said.

The council chairman also mentioned he signed an executive order to halt all real estate activities in Eleme. This is until they complete a thorough review of land ownership and documentation.

He said all developers, estate firms, surveyors, and individuals wanting to carry out land transactions in the area must first get approval from the local government before starting any work.

Ollor directed anyone involved in illegal land grabbing to leave the affected areas or face legal action.

He stressed that the disputed land is the ancestral property of the Eleme people. He referred to the 1957 Supreme Court ruling and the White Paper of the Justice Charles Granville Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Eleme, Ogu/Okrika communal conflict as legal backing for the council’s stance.

The chairman also warned potential investors against buying land from what he called criminal groups using fake documents.

He said the council has written to the Rivers State House of Assembly through the member representing Eleme Constituency, Hon. Igwe Obe Aforji. They are asking for a legislative investigation into the land grabbing and related violence.

Blessing Agabe, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, confirmed the incident. She said the land dispute between the two communities has been in court for years.

Agabe stated, “What led to the shooting is a land dispute that has been ongoing for years, and both communities are currently in court over it. There was no casualty; only a Hilux vehicle was burnt.

“The Commissioner of Police has stepped in, and the investigation is ongoing.”