Five people have been killed and five others injured following a violent clash between residents and herdsmen at Gbeniyiri and nearby 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 Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Hospital morgue. The injured persons are currently receiving treatment at various health facilities in the area.
Information gathered indicates that the violence was triggered after a resident was killed during a robbery attack in the community. Relatives of the victim are said to have launched reprisal attacks on herdsmen who were accused of being involved in the robbery.
Further checks suggest that the latest incident is not linked to the recent communal conflict in the area, which previously resulted in several deaths and the displacement of residents.
Confirming the development, the District Chief Executive for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Senitina Saaka, said the violence is believed to have stemmed from the robbery incident in one of the suburbs of the community.
According to him, the robbery victim was killed after reportedly resisting the attackers in a nearby bush area.
He explained that the killing provoked relatives of the deceased to carry out reprisal attacks, which subsequently escalated into the current violence that has claimed lives and left others injured.
Mr Saaka added that security has been reinforced in the area while investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those responsible for the incident.
