By Festus Ahon

UGHELLI – A 32-year-old man has been murdered in Gana, Agbarha Otor, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, over the sharing of N30,000 said to have been paid by a contractor attached to the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC.

The money was payment for offloading materials meant for Shell’s Well 3 at the Erhiemu Oil Field brought in by the contractor.

The victim, simply identified as William, was allegedly killed over the money sharing formula. Vanguard gathered that another youth was also injured in the clash.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, said the contractor had hired some youths in the area to offload the materials brought in a trailer for N30,000.

The source said trouble started when the victim’s share was given to another youth, who also participated in the offloading.

He said fight broke out after a heated argument and one of the youths, identified as Ese, was stabbed in the stomach with a broken bottle.

Friends and relations of Ese, who trooped to the hospital where he was taken to for medical attention, were said to  have clubbed the deceased to death in a reprisal attack.

Efforts to reach the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Ughelli Police ‘B’ Division, Agbarha-Otor, for comment proved abortive at press time.

A senior Police officer attached to the division confirmed the incident, saying the matter was being investigated.