Both sides were said to have recorded an unconfirmed number of casualties after some members of the Okutukutu community reportedly launched an attack on the Opolo community in the state.
The violent clash resulted in pandemonium and bonfires in the area and the blocking of the Diepreye Alamieyeseiya Junction at the Mbiama-Yenagoa Road, forcing motorists and other road users to divert to other routes.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Government said it took exception to “a recent attack on Opolo community, allegedly carried out by some individuals from neighbouring Okutukutu community, which had resulted in some casualties.”
The Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, on Monday, condemned the attack and directed relevant security agencies to fish out the perpetrators for prosecution.
“The present administration would not condone a situation where individuals or communities resort to violence and physical attacks over territorial or land boundary disputes, more so when such matters are pending in the law court of competent jurisdiction,” he warned.
Ewhrudjakpo, therefore, called on Opolo, and its neighbouring communities, particularly Okutukutu, to refrain from taking any further action liable to bring about the breakdown of law and order in the area.
He urged the feuding communities to sheath their swords as the state government was taking every necessary step to resolve the issue, including an emergency meeting with the leadership of the affected communities in his office by 3pm on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
The deputy governor expressed regrets over the loss of lives and property from the incident, and assured the bereaved families that the government would do everything within its powers to ensure justice for them.