5 Killed, Hundreds Injured as Christians/Muslims Clash in Wukari, TARABA

 Five persons were killed Saturday in the ancient town of Wukari in Taraba State while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries as Christian and Muslim religious adherents engaged themselves in violent and bloody clash.

Besides, hundreds of houses and business premises, including places of worship were razed down by the warring groups who engaged in a gun duel, thereby rendering thousands of people homeless and striped of their means of livehood.

The crisis, which erupted in the early hours of Saturday, THISDAY gathered, was ignited by an argument between some youths during an early morning football training session at a football pitch located in the town which later snowballed into a bloody clash following the killing of one of the youths in the course of the argument.

In the ensuing mayhem, dangerous weapons were freely used by the youths who later engaged each other in gun battle while residents were forced to flee their homes to take refuge in nearby bushes just as some had to flee to neighbouring communities.

“The crisis started as an argument between two youths at the football field and in the course of the argument, one of the youths was shot. In an attempt to retaliate the killing of the young man who is an adherent of one of the religions, it became a full blown war between Christians and Muslims who engaged themselves with dangerous weapons including guns,” an eyewitness who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity said. ThisDAY