- State govt suspends cultural festival
At least two persons were killed and several others injured following a violent clash between soldiers and participants in the Echane Masquerade Festival in Ogaminana, headquarters of Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, has prompted the Kogi State Government to suspend the festival across Ebiraland over security concerns.
Reports said that trouble began when two soldiers, reportedly dressed in mufti, were allegedly assaulted by some masqueraders participating in the traditional festival procession.
An eyewitness said the soldiers later mobilised their colleagues and returned to the area on a reprisal attack.
“Two soldiers who were not in uniform were beaten by a masquerade. They went back and mobilised their colleagues to the area. On their return, they started shooting sporadically, which led to chaos. Residents also responded by pelting stones at the soldiers,” the source said.
The situation reportedly escalated as the soldiers allegedly opened fire in different directions, resulting in casualties and injuries.
One of the victims, said to be a Point of Sale (PoS) operator, identified simply as Omeiza, was hit by a stray bullet while inside his kiosk. He was later confirmed dead.
Another victim was said to have sustained gunshot wounds while sitting inside his residence and died shortly after being rushed to hospital.
A separate eyewitness account alleged that the clash was triggered when some off-duty soldiers, who had returned home to celebrate the festival, reacted to reports that their colleagues had been beaten by masqueraders in the Inorere area of Ogaminana.
According to the source, efforts by the Adavi Peace Committee and the local cultural union to calm tensions and appease the aggrieved soldiers were unsuccessful.
“Despite immediate intervention by community leaders and stakeholders, all mediation efforts failed. The soldiers allegedly called for reinforcements from their operational base in Okene. Upon arrival, the responding troops began firing sporadically into the air,” the source said.
The witness added that the shooting left innocent bystanders dead and several others with varying degrees of injuries.
Concerned residents have called on the Kogi State Government and security agencies to investigate the incident and prevent further escalation of violence in the area.
Neither the police nor the army had issued an official statement at the time of filing this report