A 26-year-old man identified simply as Tari, popularly known as Heavyweight, has allegedly been hacked to death on Sunday during a clash between two rival youth factions in Diema community, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Tuesday that the deceased, said to be from Opu-Nembe (Bassambiri) in Nembe Local Government Area, was reportedly a member of a youth faction loyal to Ingo Ikele, the Amayanabo of Diema-Brass.
Community sources, who craved anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident, told PUNCH Metro that the crisis erupted when Ikele allegedly directed youths loyal to him to join an inspection visit to a parcel of land reportedly earmarked for a crude oil tank farm by an unidentified oil company.
However, the youths were allegedly confronted by another faction loyal to Baratuaipre Amaene, described by sources as a rival traditional ruler in the community.
The disagreement reportedly degenerated into a violent confrontation, during which Tari sustained injuries that eventually led to his death.
Sources close to the Divisional Police Headquarters disclosed that the victim was rushed to a hospital for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival by medical personnel.
The incident has heightened concerns over tensions between the rival youth groups in the community, although the circumstances that led to the confrontation remain unclear.
When contacted, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, confirmed that normalcy had been restored to the area.
He added that an investigation was ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the clash.
As of the time of filing this report, no further details had emerged regarding possible arrests in connection with the incident.
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