Two women, one of them pregnant, reportedly lost their lives while fleeing Tyo Mu, a suburb of Makurdi, following the deadly clash between Iharev and Iparev over the ownership of the land on Wednesday.
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom revealed this after assessing the damage from the clash on Friday.
Thirtyseven homes were set ablaze while hundreds of residents fled the community.
Ortom said no life was lost in the clash but lamented that the two women lost their lives when the vehicle they boarded while fleeing the community was involved in a road accident.
The governor called for calm, promising that those behind the crisis would be arrested and prosecuted.
He said, “From the report I received, there was no casualty. But unfortunately, two women, one of them pregnant, while running away from the scene were involved in an accident and died.
“Thirty seven houses were burnt down. The crisis is unfortunate. I have directed the police to ensure that the traditional ruler produce the people who perpetrated the crisis.
“It is very bad for anyone to be laying claim to owning land because, land belong to government.”