2 dead in 'rido' over land dowry in Bangsamoro region

COTABATO CITY – Two people, including a college student, were killed in a gun battle due to a rido (clan war) involving the families of an estranged couple over a two-hectare property that reportedly served as dowry before their marriage, police said.

The encounter occurred last Sunday in Barangay Patot, Pahamuddin town in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

READ: 2 dead, 3 wounded as clan feud erupts in Maguindanao del Sur

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Capt. Rafael Bataan, Pahamuddin police chief, said one of the factors that may have fueled the latest outbreak of violence was the separation of an unnamed couple.

Police investigation showed the husband sought to reclaim the two-hectare property that he had previously given as dowry to his estranged wife.

“That is one of the possible reasons why this tension escalated this far,” Bataan said in an interview.

Bataan said the wife had sought a divorce, which is permitted under Islamic law, due to misunderstandings and incompatibility in their marriage.

The disagreement over the ownership of the land allegedly added to existing tensions between the two families, he added.

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Bataan said previous disputes involving relatives from both sides had already strained relations, creating a volatile situation that eventually erupted into an armed confrontation.

He said that authorities have yet to determine the full circumstances surrounding the clash, but police confirmed that two individuals, one from each family, were killed.

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Police personnel, village officials, and members of the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) have been deployed to the area to prevent further violence and ensure the residents’ safety.

The JPST is a peacekeeping force composed of government security forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It operates under the mechanism of the Bangsamoro peace process.

“We advised both parties to stay in their respective areas and avoid any action that might further escalate the tension,” Bataan said.

Investigation is ongoing as authorities work to de-escalate the conflict and prevent retaliatory attacks.

READ: Resolving ‘rido’ under Bangsamoro

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Bataan said there had been an earlier ambush incident involving members of the same families, which may have aggravated tensions and eventually led to the deadly gunfight resulting in the death of the two victims./coa