The Rivers State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the renewed communal violence between Eleme and Okrika local government areas following a fresh outbreak of hostilities on Thursday night.
The clash, believed to be connected to a protracted land dispute between the two host communities of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, left a Hilux vehicle burnt and several properties damaged, while escalating tensions across the affected communities.
Residents reported that vehicles and other valuable properties were destroyed during the violence, while a community source disclosed that two persons were declared missing after the incident. According to the source, a search team has been deployed, and the matter has been reported to the police.
A video that surfaced online on Friday captured a Hilux vehicle engulfed in flames as gunshots rang out in the background, forcing residents to flee the area in search of safety.
In response to the renewed crisis, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Obarilomate Ollor, announced the immediate suspension of all real estate activities within the council, alleging that illegal land grabbers were fueling the unrest.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ollor accused land speculators, in collaboration with some estate developers and armed thugs, of invading ancestral lands along the Woji–Aleto–Alesa Link Road and the Akpajo section of the Port Harcourt Ring Road.
He lamented that local farmers had been forced to pay illegal levies before gaining access to their farmlands, while indigenous landowners were allegedly subjected to harassment, intimidation and extortion whenever they attempted to inspect or protect their properties.
According to him, the growing activities of land grabbers have contributed to the loss of lives, destruction of property and increasing threats to peace, security and legitimate economic activities in Eleme.
To address the situation, Ollor said he had signed an executive order placing an immediate halt on all real estate operations pending a comprehensive review of land ownership records and documentation.
He further directed all estate developers, surveyors, firms and individuals intending to engage in land transactions within the area to obtain clearance from the local government before proceeding with any activities.
The council chairman also warned those allegedly involved in illegal land grabbing to vacate the disputed areas or risk prosecution.
Maintaining that the disputed land belongs to the Eleme people, Ollor 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 legal authorities supporting the council’s position.
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He also advised prospective investors to exercise caution and avoid purchasing land from what he described as criminal syndicates allegedly using forged documents to facilitate illegal transactions.
Ollor disclosed that the local government had petitioned the Rivers State House of Assembly through the member representing Eleme Constituency, Hon. Igwe Obe Aforji, requesting a legislative investigation into the alleged land grabbing and the violence associated with it.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko Agabe, said the land dispute between the two communities has been before the courts for several years.
She explained that the latest violence stemmed from the lingering dispute, stressing that no lives were lost during the incident.
“What led to the shooting is a land dispute that has been ongoing for years, and both communities are currently in court over it. There was no casualty; only a Hilux vehicle was burnt,” Agabe said.
She added that the Commissioner of Police had intervened in the matter and that investigations were ongoing to restore calm and prevent further violence.
