Unconfirmed scores of persons have reportedly been killed over a lingering land dispute between one Mr.Bayo and the elders of Egbeta community as many more are suspected to be feared dead .
It will be recalled that the crisis in Egbeta community between Mr.Bayo and the elders of the community recently escalated further after it was discovered that he was supported by some local Indigenes of the community including one Mr.David Ajayi against the will of elders of the community in the acquisition of a large parcel of land from the community in December 2015.
Mr.David Ajayi’s role in the acquisition of the land by Mr. Bayo however led to his arrest by elders of the community who were visibly angry that his loyalty and allegiance were to a non-native but he was released several days after.
However, in 2016 the community elders made frantic efforts to recover the purchased land by insisting it was no longer selling as due process was not observed in the transaction.
Also that some businessmen interested in developing the community by setting up an industrial factory had approached the community that they were interested in acquiring a large parcel of land for investment purpose, it was gathered.
The decision of the elders to recover the already acquired land from Mr.Bayo however degenerated into communal crisis in the community as it was said that Mr.Ajayi hired the services of heavily armed security guards to secure the landed property from the community elders.
Having lost the trust of elders of the community owing to his unflinching support for Mr.Bayo, he ( Ajayi ) was given a period of 3 months to leave or incur the wrath of his disloyalty which he outrightly refused leading to the alleged killings of four persons who had earlier shot sporadically in front of his house while riding on motor-bikes on April 4th 2016.
Mr.Ajayi and his security guards, it was understood, gunned down the gunmen riding on the motor-bikes instantly killing all four persons dead, it was gathered.
The heightened tension over the parcel of land in the community further degenerated between Mr. Ajayi and members of the community including youths who violently attacked and destroyed his house in Egbeta community.
Following heightened tension in the community, Mr. Ajayi was eventually murdered in a manner which futher exposed his family to increased threats from members of the community who had earlier vowed to eliminate everyone in the family.
The murder of Mr.Ajayi was said to have compelled his son Gabriel Ajayi and other members of his family who had also on several ocassions confronted the community during the conflicts in the community but were violently subdued to submission prompting them to flee and abandon their house in Egbeta community.
Meanwhile, confirmed report in Egbeta community revealed that the family house had been completely abandoned as the whereabouts of Gabriel Ajayi and others in the family remain largely unknown to anyone in the community.
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