"Upwards of 50 people were killed when a group of people from Ezza community attacked residents of neighboring Ezilo community over a land dispute," the Onyekachi Eni told AFP by telephone.
He said the festivities were not linked to the wave of bloody attacks by the Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. Currently wearing a false nose and moustache and answering to Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, or
Big Louie...
Islamist sect, which prompted President
Goodluck Jonathan... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
to declare a state of emergency in some areas late Saturday.
"The dispute between the two communities, which started in 2008, was believed to have been settled until the latest conflagration. A group of people from Ezza invaded Ezilo and attacked them, killing over 50 people there," he said.
Ebonyi state police front man, John Elu, estimated the corpse count at around 40.
"We estimate that between 38 and 40 people, including a police brass hat going to work, were killed in the festivities, although we don't have an accurate figure for those killed because some of them were hacked to death in the bushes," he said, adding "the corpse count could be higher."
He said the gunnies who are yet to be identified also destroyed houses and other property.
No arrests have been made yet, he added.
He also confirmed that a land dispute had existed between the two communities for several years.
State-run Radio Nigeria said the attackers set fire to many houses, shops, offices, petrol tankers and a mill.
The Ebonyi state governor, Martin Elechi, and the state police boss visited the scene Saturday to see the extent of the tragedy, the governor's front man, Eni, said.
Dozens of riot coppers have been deployed to the two communities to restore law and order, he added.
Violent and deadly communal or ethnic festivities over land are frequent in Nigeria between neighboring communities on the one hand and between farmers and herdsmen on the other.
Land ownership is a sensitive issue because of commercial or traditional values attached to it. Most Nigerians in rural areas derive their means of livelihood from subsistence farming.