From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt, Julius Alabi, Akure and Olanrawaju Lawal, Ado-Ekiti

But what was meant to be a peaceful event turned bloody following a clash with policemen. The youths were said to be trying to gain access to the petrochemical plant when they were confronted by the police. An argument of course ensued.

One of the policemen, apparently with too itchy a finger pulled the trigger of his gun. A live bullet was fired. One of the protesters fell and chaos ensued.

By the time body counts were made, three people were feared dead. The State Police Command has also deployed 200 heavily armed policemen to the area to help restore normalcy.

Sources in Eleme told The Guardian that following the shot from the policemen the youths had fled in a melee only to regroup later to launch a counter offensive.

Infuriated by the killing of one of their colleagues, their first port of call was the police station. The policemen on duty on sighting the youths chanting war songs approaching their station, scampered for safety, hence making it easy for the demonstrators to raze down the building.

The youths also destroyed some vehicles said to belong to police and other individuals. The mayhem occasioned by the demonstration prevented the Port Harcourt Refinery workers and staff of the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone from reaching their place of work.

As the news of the killing made the rounds in the community, several hundred other youths joined their kinsmen and mounted road blocks at the Eleme Refinery.

Unconfirmed sources informed The Guardian that the youths took the Eleme Divisional Police Officer hostage.

To quell the riot and rescue him, some 200 heavily armed anti-riot policemen were said to have been deployed to the area. The policemen were said to have engaged the youths in a gun battle that claimed the lives of two other persons.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Ireju Barasua told The Guardian that the situation was still hazy as there had not been any official signal from the Divisional Police Officer in Eleme. She stated that it would be difficult for the policemen there to send a signal to the headquarters under the prevailing circumstances.

When contacted on telephone yesterday, the Rivers

State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samuel Adetuyi disclosed that 200 policemen have been deployed to the community to restore normalcy in the area.

The crisis yesterday paralysed business activities in Eleme and forced apprehensive residents to stay indoors in order to avoid a reprisal action by the police who on arrival at the community, had starting shooting sporadically.

Four people were also feared dead while a number of farmers were injured at the weekend during a skirmish over a disputed farmland between Ondo and Ekiti states.

The Guardian learnt that the area in dispute, lcated between Imesi - Ekiti and Irun Akoko in Ondo State was reportedly invaded by some people in the early hours of Saturday with dangerous weapons.

Disclosing this yesterday in Akure during a peace meeting between representatives of the two states, Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mr. Abiodun Aluko said the settlement of the age long land dispute must be put to rest now and no more delay should be entertained.

The meeting, taggged "Joint Peace Meeting" was at the instance of Ondo State, which also claims the ownership of the area in dispute.

The two governments' intervention in the lingering boundary dispute is thought to be imperative, particularly with the 2005 population Census just around the corner.

Aluko implored people on both sides to embrace peace and love and avoid provocation that could escalate tension among the border dwellers.

Responding,, Ondo State Deputy Governor, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru commended his Ekiti counterpart for efforts thus far in matters concerning the age long dispute in the area even since the time that the two states were one.

Meanwhile, Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mr. Abiodun Aluko has appealed to the people of Imesi-Ekiti in the Gbonyin Local Government area and other border communities in the state to remain calm and be law-abiding as government has started taking decisive steps at resolving all intra and inter-boundary disputes posing threats on them.

Aluko gave the charge in Ado-Ekiti at a meeting held by the state boundary commission with communities which are engaged n land crises with their neighbouring communities from other states.

Meanwhile incessant communal conflicts in the country have been blamed on the political class.

Governor Donald Duke of Cross River State speaking at a peace meeting between the Izzi community of Ebonyi State and their Yaba neighbour of Cross Rivers State noted that politicians in the country take advantage of certain situations to mastermind communal clashes for their own personal interests.

Governor Duke commended his Ebonyi state counterpart Sam Egwu for exhibiting maturity and good leadership in tackling the boarder issue.

He disclosed that President Olusegun Obasanjo had also commended the two governors for their approach to a peaceful means to the Izzi Ukeklle clashes.

The governors of the two states had two weeks ago met to seek ways of arresting the conflict before it degenerated further.

A 15-man committee headed by the Deputy Governors of the two states was raised last weekend to look into the matter.