General News of Sunday, 30 December 2012

Source: GNA

One killed in Nkonya and Alavanyo Clash

One person is reported dead and two others injured in two shooting incidents on Saturday in a bush between the Nkonya and Alavanyo communities in the Volta Region.

The first incident was said to have happened at around 0530 hours, when Kofi Nyame, Francois and a third person, name not available, from Nkonya-Tayi and Nkonya-Ntumda were shot while returning from a hunting expedition.

Kofi Nyame and Francois sustained injuries in the chest and arm respectfully and were sent to the Worawora hospital.

The second incident happened at about 1100 hours, five and half hours after the first incident, when Stephen Kudzo Atipoli, 70, who was in his farm with his wife, was shot and killed.

The body has been deposited at the Margaret Marquette Hospital morgue at Kpando.

Tension is said to be high as both Nkonya and Alavanyo, were blaming each other for the incidents.

Mr Joseph Antwi-Gyawu corroborated the story, saying there was total order there.

Police reinforcement has been reportedly sent into the area from Ho, Hohoe and Kpando.

The two sides had been bickering over land for nearly a century, with occasional gunfire exchanges and ambushes, resulting in fatalities.

However church-government collaboration had succeeded in bringing the sides to the negotiating table.

Very Rev Livingstone Buama, Former Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church is chairman of the Peace Committee, which has virtually brought the two neighbours together and is left with a final demarcation of the land.