Three injured; two arrested over land dispute in Tamale

Three persons sustained severe machete wounds after a violent scuffle broke out Wednesday, January 2, between two families at Vitting, a hotspot suburb in the Tamale metropolis.

The violence occurred when one family began construction works on a disputed land. Both families laid claims over the land, which is just less than one acre in size or measurement and the dispute was before the local chief who was yet to pass a verdict.

Gunshots were fired, an eyewitness told Starr News, and one person was pounded to the ground with a sharp spade. The two others sustained cutlass wounds and stoned.

They were sent to the Tamale Teaching Hospital. One had been treated and discharged at the moment Starr News correspondent was leaving the area.

Armed police are currently at the scene to restore order.

The police arrested heads of the two feuding families and now being interrogated at the Regional Command.

An elder of the family resisting the construction works said, the only solution to the dispute was for authorities to stop the other side from carrying out any activity on the land.

He claimed the chief of Vitting had ruled over the dispute some time ago in their favour, insisting the land was handed over to them by their ancestors who died many years ago.

“They should not dare and returned to do anything on the land. When they attempt, we will also come out to stop them”, the elderly man armed with a sharp object told StarrNews.

Communal disputes over land are common in the area. In November last year, police officers had to fire multiple gunshots to break up a mob who attempted to forcibly release their detained colleagues arrested for attacking properties of a private developer working on a land they claimed ownership.