Five dead, others injured in Gbeniyiri clash

Five people have been killed and five others injured in a clash between residents and herdsmen in Gbeniyiri and surrounding communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.

Two of the deceased have already been buried in Sawla, while the remaining three bodies have been deposited at the morgue of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Hospital. The injured are receiving treatment at various health facilities.

Graphic Online gathered that the violence erupted after a resident was killed during a robbery attack in the area. Relatives of the victim are reported to have launched reprisal attacks on herdsmen accused of involvement in the robbery.

Further checks indicate that the incident is not connected to the recent communal conflict in the area, which previously claimed several lives and displaced others.

Confirming the incident, the District Chief Executive for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Senitina Saaka, explained that the violence was believed to have been triggered by a robbery incident in one of the suburbs, during which a victim was killed after resisting attackers in the bush.

According to him, the killing sparked reprisal attacks by relatives of the deceased, which subsequently fuelled the current violence and casualties in the area.

He added that security has been beefed up in the area and investigations are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.