By Odey Ojeka
Violence broke out in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government, May 17, 2016 following the killing of a businessman in the community.
A CrossRiverWatch reporter account that at about 6am, 17th May 2016, a former councillor in Ikpakapit Ward in Ugep, Hon. Larry, who now deals in building materials was called by unknown persons to come to his shop and get some bags of cement they had brought for him to buy.
CrossRiverWatch gathered that when he got there, he was shot by the unknown gunmen and he died on the spot. Two suspects of Igbo extraction, who are fellow businessmen, were caught by community youths and taken to the Palace of the Obol Lopon of Ugep.
But some aggressive Ugep youths who claimed that the deceased was killed by some rival Igbo businessmen started destroying their shops, homes and vehicles in a mob violence that destroyed several properties worth millions of Naira.
Properties, vehicles and shops belonging to some Ugep businessmen who were accused of allegedly conniving with the Igbo traders to kill the former councillor were also touched in the mob violence that followed, with the major highway which passes through Ugep also shut down for hours due to the rampaging youths who had blocked the road brandishing cudgels, bottles and cutlasses.
Our reporter says, the Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Ofem Ubana, tried to stop the youths from the mob action but the youths resisted and kept shouting and rampaging, insisting that they no longer want Igbo businessmen in the community.
One of the rampaging youths told our reporter that “if we catch them we will kill them to revenge our brother’s death.”
But the Police say some suspects have been arrested and normalcy has been restored to community.
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