The Benue State Government has warned two communities in Guma LGA, Unyande and Kwenev, to stay away from a disputed parcel of land and river…

The Benue State Government has warned two communities in Guma LGA, Unyande and Kwenev, to stay away from a disputed parcel of land and river pending when the controversy is resolved.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security (Internal Affairs), Chief Joseph Har, handed down the warning shortly after a meeting with stakeholders from the LGA. Har said that the state government had ordered the people of the communities to stay off the disputed areas following intelligence report which indicated that the crisis had the potential of escalating into a full-blown crisis.

The Ter Guma, Chief Dennis Shemberga, commended the government for the prompt intervention in the lingering crisis.

Shemberga explained that the communities were fighting over the ownership of the river because of the large quantity of fish in it and the fertile land on its banks.

Similarly, the Caretaker Chairman of Guma LGA, Simon Unongo, noted that despite the lingering crisis, the council was enjoying relative peace.

Our correspondent reports that the controversy surrounding a section of the River Antse and the land claimed many lives in the past 30 years.