A leadership dispute over the position of Imam at the Central Mosque in Donga, Taraba State, has reportedly claimed at least two lives and left several others injured.
The violent clash, which broke out on Tuesday, also resulted in the destruction of properties within the area, sending residents fleeing for safety.
Eyewitnesses said the confrontation erupted after a section of the Muslim community disagreed over who should lead prayers at the mosque located opposite the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Donga Chiefdom.
“The argument started during a meeting but later turned violent. Before security operatives arrived, two people had already lost their lives, and many others were wounded,” a resident told Daily Trust on Wednesday.
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The crisis threw the town into confusion as rival groups engaged in a free-for-all, forcing businesses and schools in the area to shut down temporarily.
It was gathered that soldiers and other security personnel have since been deployed to restore calm and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Taraba State Police Command, ASP Leshen James, neither answered calls nor responded to text messages regarding the incident as of the time of filing this report.
