A 50-year-old Aishatu Mohammed of Ja’agi Community, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, has reportedly lost her left eye in a crisis over land between two factions in the community.
City & Crime reports that the crisis is between Ja’agi-Tiffin and Ja’agi-Tako.
It was gathered that Mrs Mohammed who is currently recuperating at the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, was reportedly hit by a stone on her left eye by the rioting youths during the crisis on Tuesday.
Two other persons identified as Saba Abubakar and Zakari Ahmed sustained severe injuries and were also receiving medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, and General Hospital, Mokwa.
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A resident of the community, Mohammed Sani Ja’agi, told our correspondent on telephone that the land crisis between the two groups had lingered on since 2015, leading to destruction of property and left some people with permanent scars.
“Most of people doing this are drug addicts. And each time they start, they attack even women and children; anybody they find on their way. This crisis has been on since 2015 and the issue had been reported at police stations and the palace of Etsu Nupe but we have not found any solution to this,” he said.
City & Crime gathered that many residents including the Chief Imam had fled their homes to Bida and Minna.
Another resident, Ahmed Idris, called for an immediate intervention of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, and Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, to bring an end to the crisis.
He said the crisis had led to the destruction of properties worth millions of naira, maiming of several people and inflicted permanent injuries on others.
When contacted, the Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said he had no details of the crisis in Ja’agi Community.
He however said the crisis he was aware of was that in Mokwa town, the headquarters of Mokwa Local Government Area between the Shaba Aliyu, the paramount ruler of the Mokwa whom he said was attacked by some youths during a wedding ceremony.
“On December 16, 2022 at about 1430hrs, the village head of Mokwa, Shaba Aliyu, was attacked at a wedding ceremony venue by suspected youths of Etisheshi area.
“The village head was held hostage by the suspected youths at the scene, but he later regained freedom due to police intervention,” he said.
He said the village head told the police that the agitation was as a result of his refusal to mediate in a pending land dispute between Etisheshi and Eppa villages, because the matter is in court.
Abiodun said during the attack in Mokwa town, two people sustained injuries and they were taken to a nearby clinic for treatment, while normalcy had been restored.
