Construction worker Langshe Lomou was critically injured in a Chiechama shooting allegedly linked to a long-running land dispute
KOHIMA — A construction worker was shot at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) construction site at Chiechama village in Kohima on September 16, reportedly following a dispute over ownership of the site.
The victim, identified as Langshe Lomou from Chendang Saddle in Tuensang district, was allegedly shot by Medochulie Zumvu, who reportedly claimed ownership of the construction site, according to Chiechama Village Council chairman Neizolie Rupreo.
Rupreo told Eastern Mirror on Thursday evening that the incident took place at around 11 am at the PHC construction site. The village council, along with the youth body and police, immediately rushed the victim to Kohima for treatment.
Lomou was admitted to KOHIMAS Hospital, where an operation was conducted and bullet pellets were removed successfully at around 8 pm. Rupreo said the village council later visited him at the hospital and found him responding to treatment and able to communicate with the visitors.
Police sources confirmed that Zumvu had been taken into custody and a case registered. Further investigation is under way.
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According to the police sources, the accused allegedly used a .22 country-made rifle in the shooting.
Rupreo also said that the village council had verified the land on which the PHC is being constructed. According to him, members of Zumvu’s family had stated that the land did not belong to them. The victim, meanwhile, resides in the vicinity of the construction site.
The incident comes amid allegations that construction workers at the site had faced repeated obstruction and threats over the past two to three years.
According to local sources, the alleged interference had affected the progress of government construction works in the area.
The Chiechama Village Council, in a statement issued on Thursday, condemned the shooting and described it as “barbaric and inhuman”.
The council appealed to law enforcement authorities to ensure justice and stated that no village member should come forward to secure bail for the accused.
Meanwhile, the council chairman of Chendang Saddle informed that Lomou was the eldest of five siblings and had moved to Kohima to support his family.
Describing the incident as tragic, he asserted that justice must be served.
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