The death toll in the land dispute at Gbiniyiri, a farming community in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region, has risen to six. Five people were killed in the early hours of Sunday, while another person was shot dead on Monday morning.
In addition, twelve more people sustained various degrees of injuries, bringing the total number of injured to 18, with some said to be in critical condition.
The violent clashes have displaced several residents, particularly women and children, while properties have also been destroyed.
Confirming the incident, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Sinkina Saaka, explained that the violence erupted after the chief of the community sold a parcel of land to a private developer, but some residents resisted the developer’s attempt to access it.
“It all started when the chief sold a piece of land to the developer some years ago. When the developer came to work on the land, the community members prevented him. The chief and his son later visited the community to ascertain the situation and were physically attacked,” he said.
The DCE further disclosed that although a joint team of military and police personnel had been deployed to the area, tensions remained very high.
He noted that perpetrators had begun moving from the main scene to launch attacks on nearby communities, making it difficult for security forces to respond due to the scattered nature of settlements.
Mr Saaka assured that the District Security Council was working with the regional command to intensify patrols and was engaging traditional and opinion leaders to calm tempers.
He appealed to the feuding factions to lay down their weapons and resort to dialogue to resolve their differences.
