No fewer than five persons were feared dead at Mgbala Agwa Autonomous Community, in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, with about 70 persons reportedly wounded in a tussle over royal stool.
Also, countless number of people were said to have been displaced from the community in connection with the crisis.
It was gathered that two men, Greg Uba and Eugene Ohamara, from the community had been locked in crisis over who should be crowned the traditional ruler of the community over the last five years.
Our reporter in Owerri learnt that all efforts made to settle the matter failed to materialize until Governor Rochas Okorocha decided force them to election, which Greg Uba won against Eugene Ohamara and one other aspirant.
The outcome of the election, however did not go down well with the losers who, it was learnt, had been seizing every opportunity to show that the new traditional ruler was not in charge of the affairs of the community.
According to community sources, trouble started when members of the community returned home last Sunday to collect their permanent voters card, PVC, but were chased back to their houses.
The sources added that a group of boys regrouped and returned to their various registration centres and a fight broke out between the supporters of the traditional ruler and his opponents, with weapons flying from nowhere and leaving no fewer than five persons dead.
Meanwhile, the town is said to have been deserted as citizens of the community had taken shelter in nearby communities.
Meanwhile, the state commissioner of police, Abdulmajid Ali, the Brigade commander of 32 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, L. M. Bello and some high powerful members of the state government visited the community Wednesday to take record of the crisis.
When contacted for comments, the state Police spokesman, Andrew Enwerem, told our correspondent that he was not aware of the crisis.
