Two people have been killed following a payment clash between Hausa traders and some youths who are reportedly members of a local government task force team in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to The Nation,, trouble began when some youths from Elemes –working as a taskforce –went to Opaku park, Onne, to demand payment of some levies from the Hausa traders who trade in the place.
An eyewitness, Franklin Bobmanuel said that the traders refused to pay the tax as the youths demanded, a situation which led to a free-for-all fight.
He said that one of the youths was killed in the process which resulted in them killing one of the traders in retaliation.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed that the incident, saying that a church and a mosque were razed down in the process.
“We are aware of the Incident, but I am yet to get detail of what happened,” he said. “We have swung into action, our men have been deployed to the area to maintain calm and we are investigating the matter, we will make the report available as soon as we are through.”