Land dispute turns bloody in nimba

At least one person is reported wounded and another missing after a family feud over land turned bloody as a result of gunfire in Nimba County.

It all began when children of the late Oldman Soko were at each other’s throats over inherited land in Sokopa Town, electoral district#8 in the county.

According to report, the late Oldman Soko hailed from Bong County, but married two women from Nimba – one from the Mano tribe and the other from the Mandingo ethnic group.

The couple subsequently migrated to Nimba County and resettled in a town known as Lao Garwine thru the intervention of a brother-in-law, and were reportedly provided one thousand, eight-hundred and thirty-eight (1,838) acres of land.

They later moved to Sokopa Town thru efforts of the late Pa Soko’s in-laws and resided there for more than 30 years before he died. Now children of the deceased are battling each other with one of them claiming the entire 1,838 acres.

Officers of the Police Support Unit or PSU from the regional security hub in Gbarnga, Bong County were dispatched to Nimba to watch over survey of the land when the late Soko’s children including in-laws from Ganwine allegedly fired three rounds of single-barrel gunshots during the survey, threatening surveyors and PSU officers that had gone to ensure peace.

Eyewitnesses narrated that the first day of the survey last Friday was disrupted after the shooting, and on Thursday, 8 February 12 rounds of single-barrel shots were discharged, wounding one person, while another is reported missing.

The situation led schools to shut down, and disrupted the ongoing national voter registration in that part of Nimba.

Several citizens of Sokopa town fled to Bong County for their dear lives following the shooting.

It is not yet clear whether the survey will continue as the situation has created panic in the town.

By Franklin Doloquee, Nimba-Editing by Jonathan Browne