A tragic incident has reportedly claimed one life and left seven houses destroyed in Ogute-Oke community, located in Estako East Local Government Area of Edo State, following a dispute said to have started over a young woman.
The violence reportedly erupted shortly after the community concluded celebrations for its annual Olimi Festival. The situation has since created tension in the area, with several residents allegedly fleeing for fear of arrest.
According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the trouble began during a social gathering organized to mark the burial of a respected chief in the community.
Witnesses claimed that an argument broke out when a man became upset after seeing another man dancing with a woman he had brought to the event. What started as a disagreement reportedly escalated into violence, with one of the men allegedly attacking the other with a cutlass.
The victim sustained severe injuries to the neck and was said to have died from the attack. Reports also indicate that the violence later spread, resulting in the destruction of seven houses in the community.
Efforts to get an official response from the Edo State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls made to the Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, were not answered at the time of filing this report.
