Land dispute between 2 Anambra communities claims 3 lives

Chubuzor Onyesoh, an orphan and two other yet-to-be-identified persons, were reportedly murdered following a land dispute between Enugwu-Ukwu and Nwafia communities.

SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the commands Public Relations Officer, said in a statement in Awka that an investigation had commenced on the matter.

Ikenga said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Nnaghe Itam, ordered a thorough investigation on the matter after visiting the scene of the incident.

The CP has also urged the feuding factions to be calm, and that the police will ensure prompt handling of the matter, he said.

He said that preliminary information revealed that the victims were lured by some individuals through a phone call to the disputed land area. The police spokesman further said that the victims were asked to come over for a land transaction and were attacked with guns and matchet.

Ikenga expressed the commitment of the police to do everything towards apprehending those behind the killing. He said that the vehicle used by the suspects to carry out the act had been recovered by the police.

The remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue, Ikenga added.

In his reaction, Chief Patrick Nworji, the President-General, of the Enugwu-Ukwu Community, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the incident had thrown the community into tension.

There is tension in Enugwu-Ukwu now, but we are doing everything possible to control the situation, he stated.

Also speaking, Mazi Christian Beluchukwu, a resident of the community, condemned the killing and described it as a bad omen. Beluchukwu urged the police and other security agencies to do everything possible to apprehend the perpetrators of the act.