By Deborah Nnamdi
The Rivers State Police Command has commenced an investigation into a renewed communal clash between residents of Eleme and Okrika Local Government Areas, following fresh violence linked to a longstanding land dispute between the two communities.
The clash, which occurred on Thursday night, reportedly resulted in the burning of a Hilux vehicle and the destruction of other properties, heightening tension in the affected areas.
Residents said several vehicles and other valuables were damaged during the unrest, while a community source disclosed that two persons were reported missing after the incident. According to the source, a search team had been mobilised, and the matter was reported to the police.
A viral video circulating on Friday showed a Hilux vehicle engulfed in flames as gunshots rang out, forcing residents to flee for safety.
In response to the violence, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Obarilomate Ollor, announced the immediate suspension of all real estate activities in the council, accusing land grabbers of fueling the crisis.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ollor alleged that land speculators, working with some estate developers and hired thugs, had continued to encroach on ancestral lands along the Woji–Aleto–Alesa Link Road and the Akpajo axis of the Port Harcourt Ring Road.
He said the activities had prevented farmers from accessing their farmlands without paying illegal levies and had subjected indigenous landowners to harassment, intimidation, and extortion.
According to him, the situation has led to loss of lives, destruction of property, and posed a serious threat to peace, security, and legitimate economic activities in the area.
The council chairman said he had signed an executive order suspending all real estate operations in Eleme pending a comprehensive review of land ownership records and documentation.
He directed all developers, estate firms, surveyors, and individuals intending to engage in land transactions within the area to obtain clearance from the local government before commencing any activity.
Ollor also warned individuals allegedly involved in illegal land grabbing to vacate the disputed areas or face prosecution, insisting that the land remained the ancestral property of the Eleme people. He cited the 1957 Supreme Court judgment and the White Paper of the Justice Charles Granville Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Eleme–Ogu/Okrika communal conflict as the legal basis for the council’s position.
He further cautioned prospective investors against purchasing land from what he described as criminal syndicates using forged documents and disclosed that the council had petitioned the Rivers State House of Assembly, through the member representing Eleme Constituency, Hon. Igwe Obe Aforji, to investigate the alleged land grabbing and the recurring violence.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, said the dispute between the two communities had been before the courts for years.
She stated that no lives were lost during the latest clash, noting that only a Hilux vehicle was burnt.
“The Commissioner of Police has intervened in the matter, and investigation is ongoing,” she said.
