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 reports that the violence erupted after a resident was killed during a robbery in the area. Relatives of the victim reportedly launched reprisal attacks on herdsmen accused of involvement in the robbery.
Further checks indicate that the incident is not linked to the recent communal conflict in the area, which had previously claimed several lives and displaced residents.
Confirming the incident, the District Chief Executive for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Senitina Saaka, said the violence was triggered by a robbery in one of the suburbs, during which a victim was killed after resisting the attackers in the bush.
He explained that the killing prompted reprisal attacks by relatives of the deceased, escalating the current violence and resulting in multiple casualties.
Saaka added that security has been strengthened in the area and investigations are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.
