The crisis over where the people Ette community in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State would pitch their tent has boiled over, leaving many houses burnt.
Reports indicate that not less than 10 houses were burnt and unspecified number of people seriously injured at the latest outbreak of violence which has become perennial in the community.
The crux of the crisis is the strong positions by two opposing groups in the community, one rooting for the community to be severed from Enugu State and joined to the contiguous Kogi State and another group that wants remain in Enug State.
Reports indicate that the violence was triggered by those who wanted to be merged with Kogi State attacked when they attacked a youth leader opposing their move, after burning down his house.
Reports indicate that the the group attacked and shot Mr. Matthias Eje, the youth leader of those in favour of remaining in Enugu, four times leaving him with several bullet wounds.
The attackers also burnt his house other houses in Onoda part of Ette, who are sympathetic to the group rooting to remain in Enugu State.
The injured youth leader was said to be recuperating in an unnamed private hospital in Enugu.
It was alleged that those in favour of remaining in Enugu State later re-grouped and launched a reprisal attack by burning some of the houses of their alleged attackers before the deployment of soldiers.
Soldiers from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army have been deployed to the area to contain the situation.
The crisis dates back to before the civil war and has remained intractable ever since. According some accounts, while the people of Ette share tribal affinity with people in Kogi State, the land in which they live in were given to them largely by the people of Enugu Ezike, which make up the rest of the local government area. The Ette community are largely Igala speaking people.
It was learnt that back in time the community had remained divided as to where their interests would be best served. But incidentally, previous state creations dating back to East Central State had left them with the Igbo-speaking Enugu State.
According to a source, some of the leaders of the community sometimes engineer these crises as a bait to get government attention and appointments.
