Killing of four by mob: Tension brews between C-River, Benue communities

THE killing of four persons in Vandeikya, a Benue State border community with Cross River State by a mob has stirred tension between the two states.

Vanguard gathered that in the area, which is over 300 kilometres from Calabar, a commercial driver known as Aluku and three others were mauled to death by a mob after a motorcyclist, who said he withdrew N1million from a bank in Ogoja raised the alarm that the car driven by Aluku was trailing him.

“The Okada man felt he was being followed by late Aluku, hence, he fled into a nearby Tiv community, which is in Benue State and shouted and the villagers rushed to the scene in large numbers and beat Aluku and his passengers to death,” Mr Ilefa, Press Secretary to Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State, Chairman said.

He said efforts by the driver and the commuters in his car to explain to the mob that their vehicle was heading to Markudi and not trailing the motorcyclist fell on deaf ears.

“Chairman of Ogoja Local Government Area,   Emmanuel Ishabor, is doing everything within his power to put the situation under control by holding talks with leaders in Bekwara and Ogoja, including leaders of Tiv community, where the incident happened,” he said.

He said the chairman had appealed for calm and was engaging security agencies in the area to be proactive to forestall an outbreak of violence. “Security agencies are monitoring the situation and investigations are ongoing and all those involved in this act will be brought to book,” he added. Vanguard