From Steve Oni, Ilorin

 Five persons have been confirmed killed on Tuesday in the latest outbreak of violence between Share and Tsaragi communities in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state.

 Five people have also been arrested over the incident, according to the spokesman for the state’s Police Command, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi.

 The incident happened while the state government was still working on the implementation of a White Paper on an earlier violent conflict between the two communities during which lives were also lost and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

 Sources close to the two communities claimed that the victims of the Tuesday incident were mainly Nupes from Tsaragi who were resident at Obadare village which belongs to Share. The victims were identified as Aliyu Issah, Muhmini, Alhaji Saba, Madu Issa and Kadiri.

 It was gathered that prior to the attack, the Nupes had written an appeal letter to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari, asking for his intervention. They had claimed in the letter that they ran away from their settlement to their ancestral homeland in the wake of the earlier attack on them during the first clash between Share and Tsaragi people.

 The letter, which was signed by Issa Aliyu and Jiya Aliyu on behalf of Nupe Community of Obadare, also pledged the readiness of the Nupe people to abide by the conditions of their Share hosts and asked to be allowed to return and harvest their crops which had been abandoned as a result of the crisis.

 It was alleged that the Share people acceded to the request which prompted the Nupes to return to Obadare but that they were attacked soon after by people suspected to be from Share.

 However, a source in Share community, who is also an indigene of the area, said that the Tuesday attack was between Fulani and Tsaragi people and not between Share and Tsaragi communities.

 The source, who confirmed that there was no indigene of Share community among the victims of the clash, said that his people had no connection with the attack.

 The state government has in the meantime imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on the two communities following the incident.  This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold.

 Text of the SSG's statement reads: "Following the outbreak of crises between Shaare in Ifelodun Local Government Area and Tsaragi in Edu Local Government Area, the Kwara State Government hereby imposes dusk to dawn curfew in both communities with immediate effect.

 “No human or vehicular movement is allowed in both communities between 6pm and 7am till further notice.  Members of both communities are urged to remain calm and law abiding as government is committed to securing the lives and property of all citizens and residents in the state.”