Four people have been killed and five others injured following violent clashes between residents and herdsmen in Gbeniyiri and surrounding communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.
Preliminary reports indicate that the violence erupted after a resident was killed during a robbery attack. Relatives of the victim reportedly carried out reprisal attacks targeting herdsmen suspected of involvement in the robbery.
Authorities have clarified that the latest incident is not linked to previous communal conflicts in the district, which had earlier claimed several lives and displaced numerous residents.
Two of the deceased have already been buried in Sawla, while the remaining bodies have been deposited at the morgue of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Hospital. The injured are receiving treatment at various health facilities in the area.
Confirming the situation, Savannah Regional Minister Salisu Be-Awuribe, said the violence was triggered by a robbery in a suburb, during which a victim was killed while resisting attackers in the bush.
He explained that the victim’s relatives responded with reprisal attacks, which escalated into the clashes and resulted in multiple casualties.
Mr Be-Awuribe added that security has been strengthened in the area and investigations are ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the violence.
The unrest follows an earlier incident on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at Gbinyiri, where a businessman from the Brefo community was shot and killed by masked assailants while buying cashew.
According to reports, the attackers demanded money from the businessman, but he refused, leading to him being shot. The incident was subsequently classified as an armed robbery.
Following the killing, some members of the community alleged that the attackers were Fulani, triggering retaliatory attacks.
