Nigeria Content Online

Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South Council Area of
Delta State was in turmoil yesterday as irate youth took the laws into
their hands killing three persons and injuring several others as the
crisis in the predominately Isoko community takes a turn for the worse.

Though the Police spokesman, Charles Muka, said
troops have been deployed to the troubled community to quell the
uprising and imposed a dusk to dawn curfew, the local police said two
persons have been arrested.

About seven trucks of mobile policemen were sighted in the town yesterday taking positions when NEXT visited the community.

The crisis, according to a source from the community,
erupted during a meeting of two rival youth groups, who have been
spurring for war over who get the larger share of an oil largesse,
which was recently paid to the community by one of the oil companies
doing business in the area.

The source said the payment has been causing tension
in the town for the past one week, and finally got to a boiling point
yesterday when a corpse was laid in front of the residence of one Chief
Egbo, an uncle to a former councillor who is opposition to the
terrorising youth group.

This led to the invasion of the main market by the
rampaging youth, who held several people hostage and smashed about
eight vehicles belonging to their opponent.

In one of the bloody encounters, one of the leaders
of a rival group, identified as Wilfred Ato, who is said to be an oil
landlord was killed at night and his corpse dumped at the home of one
of the youth leaders.

Though, it could not be ascertained which group
killed the young man, but sources said the deceased is the first in
command, to a group opposed by the serving councillor.

Fight for cash

Another victim, simply identified as Ekamena, was
allegedly shot at Amawa layout, located along the Ogumudia road axis of
the town. The other unidentified victim, said to be a stranger, was
allegedly killed by irate youth in a reprisal attack.

About three people so far have died, since the crisis
broke out on Tuesday, while one Ogadema, a key player in the crisis
claimed that invaders destroyed seven cars in his compound.

He alleged that the invaders, led by one Frank
Agbaragu, who earlier led the protest against SPDC, came to kidnap a
serving councillor in the council, Henry Iviero who had been opposed to
their activities in the community.

But in a swift reaction to Ogadema claims, Mr
Agbaragu alleged that Ogadema and his cohort were cultists holding
meeting with intent to launch attack on himself.

Next gathered that the community has been enmeshed in
one crisis or the other since about N6 Million was paid to the
community by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

A section of the town was said to have hijacked the
money, resulting to the violence by the youth and oil landlords who
embarked on the protest.

It was also learnt that some group of irate youth, last week
paralysed SPDC’s operation in the area over what they termed gross
marginalisation and wrong naming of an oil well after a neighbouring
Olomoro community.</