One Killed, Houses Razed In Delta Communal Crisis

One person was killed and many houses burnt over the weekend in Erhoike community in Kokori, Ethiope East LGA of Delta State as a youth leadership tussle snowballed into a major communal crisis.

It was gathered that the crisis started from moves by an estranged factional chairman of the oil producing community to impose a youth leader on the community.

The development which was vehemently resisted by the other faction was said to have led to the crisis which started from the two families that are scheming to produce the youth leader.

By the time the dust which the skirmishes raised settled down, one has been confirmed dead and about four houses razed.

The deceased simply identified as Wisdom Michael Enudiagba, aged 25 has since been deposited in the morgue at lsiokolo General Hospital.

Trouble was said to have started when one Mathew Oyibocha, the estranged factional chairman of Erhoike Progress Union refused to vacate office for his successor, one George Eghwrudjakpo after expiration of his tenure.

The development apparently led to the factionalisation of the leadership of the community with both Oyibocha and Eghwrudjakpo laying claims to the championship of the community.

Effort by Delta State government, though BIGPEN ONLINE couldn’t independently verify this information to reconcile the parties fails as the said Oyibocha who was asked to step aside, stubbornly refused and kept parading himself as Chairman of the oil bearing community.

Consequently, in bid to keep asserting himself as Chairman of the community, the said Oyibocha allegedly mobilised some youths to sack the incumbent youth chairman, Emmanuel Okei despite being pleaded to by Erhoike Elders Council to allow Okei complete his tenure which is expected to elapse two years time.

Sources said that Oyibocha’s younger brother, Ejiro Odvwri who was the youths’vice chairman under the Okei-led youths’ leadership also connived to topple the government, a development which resulted to the crisis and alleged death of Enudiagba.

Our source disclosed that the said Oyibocha who allegedly spearheaded the crisis had since fled the community as many are reportedly parking out in drove for fear of reprisal attack.

But police source said that the situation has been arrested and normalcy gradually returning to the community.