The fighting between the Ologba and Egba communities in Benue State was over fishing rights.

Calm has returned to the Agatu local government area in Benue State, Nigeria  where fighting between the Ologba and Egba communities last Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, 2015 resulted in the death of at least 23 people, Mail Online reported, citing the State Police Spokesman, Austin Ezeani.  He reportedly said the Police deployed to the area contained the violence and the place was already calm.

"The two neighbours were fighting over ownership of a fish pond. The violence broke out on Friday and continued until Saturday with many people also injured," Mail Online quoted Austin Ezeani as having said.  On the details of the casualties, the State Police Spokesman is quoted as saying that, "Some 23 corpses have been recovered following the fighting between Ologba and Egba communities in Agatu local government area of the State." Local media reports say between 45 and 60 people were killed in the clashes.  

Another remote factor of the fighting, Mr Ezeani said, was the accusation Egba people levied against their Ologba neighbours of aiding Fulani herdsmen to attack them in March killing 82 villagers. “The Egba people believed the Fulani herdsmen could not have entered their community without passing through Ologba. So, they believed the Ologba villagers must have aided the Fulani in that attack,” Press TV Nigeria quoted Ezeani as having said.

Benue State falls in Nigeria's “Middle Belt", where the mainly Christian south meets the majority Muslim north, and has been the site of waves of sectarian and communal violence in recent years.  Attacks and reprisal attacks by farmers and ethnic Fulani herdsmen have left hundreds of people dead over the past few years.