The Irigwe and Rukuba communities in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State have again engaged themselves in a land dispute, leading to loss of lives and property.
This is the second time the communities are clashing this year over a portion of land.
The land in contention is situated just some metres to the 3rd Armoured Division in Jos, Plateau State, which was originally said to belong to the Irrigwe people.
The Rukubas are now laying claim to it.
At the beginning of the rainy season this year, a misunderstanding ensued between the two communities over the land as they traded accusations, leading to the shedding of blood.
The swift intervention of community leaders and the government brought the situation under control.
However, on Tuesday, believing that the time to harvest has come, the hostility resumed, leading to loss of lives.
There was no official confirmation of casualties as at the time of this report.
Report reaching us has it that the Irigwe community are angry over the alleged killing of an old woman by the Rukuba community.
A source said about 20 persons are feared dead.
The spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, Emmanuel Abuh, said police had stepped in to stop any further skirmish.
Abuh confirmed the attack in a telephone interview.
He said the police responded promptly and brought the crisis under control.
Abuh appealed to the Irigwe and Rukuba communities to lay down their arms and embrace peace irrespective of their differences.
He advised the district heads of the affected communities to ensure that peace returned to the area.
The Chairman of Irigwe/Rukuba Peace Vanguard, Hon. Kure Abbas Yakwe, confirmed the death of a 65-year-old woman.
Yakwe said the woman was killed while returning from Rukuba Market.
Yakwe said some faceless individuals who did not mean well for the community are conniving with outsiders to wreck havoc in the local government area.
He said: “I believe that some of the people are fighting us secretly because the two kingdoms, after the peace parley, agreed not to fight.”
He explained that the reprisal led to the loss of many lives and burning of people’s houses between the Bacha youth and the Irigwe native.
The Chairman said: “I received calls of fresh attack going on but we are yet to know how the number of the dead, but there are casualties.”