Police confirm one death, vehicles vandalized as groups clash over football match in Taraba

At least one person has lost his life, and several others injured, following a scuffle that erupted between two communities in Taraba state.

Confirming the incident,  the Taraba State Police Command said the tussle which took place in the Nukkai area of Ardo-Kola local government council happened as a result of a disagreement that erupted during a football match, which led to massive destruction of valuables.

Speaking in Jalingo, the state capital, the command spokesperson, Abdullahi Usman, said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the council was as well not spared.

According to him, the DPO and his men were also inflicted with various degrees of injuries while trying to restore normalcy to the community

The DPO’s vehicle, he said, was also vandalized, with his revolving light and windscreen shattered in the attack.

According to him, ”this incident started at a football pitch behind the Taraba State Polytechnic, where a disagreement ensued and one of the footballers was killed.

”For peace to reign, the Divisional Police Officer of Ardo-kola local council moved in with his men to ensure the safety of lives and property as the other community members identified the killer of their brother and tried to revenge.

”In an attempt to get elders of the two communities to talk to their youths, the youths started pelting stones at the police van, and in the process, his head got broken, windscreen and resolver light damaged.

”He and his men are currently receiving treatment at the police clinic in Jalingo. For me, it is a case of two brothers who speak the same language (Kona) but live in different settlements,” the police spokesman explained.

At the time of filing this report, several arrests, as made known by him, have been made, adding that, the investigation into the incident, is still ongoing

The said upheavals, which occurred between two communities in the said council early this week, DAILY POST learnt, would have spilled over to the nearby communities but for the swift intervention of the police.