IT
was another weekend of violence in Adamawa, Benue and Kano states, with
about 32 people reportedly feared dead across the three states as a
result of terrorist attacks and renewed ethnic hostilities, even as
three other explosions were reported at the Eastern by-pass, Hotoro and
Sharada quarters of Kano in the early hours of Saturday.In Ganye town of Adamawa State, gunmen reportedly numbering about 30 raided on the town Friday night, killing a former Commissioner for Health in the cabinet of Governor Boni Haruna, Mr Adiel Billae; the chief prison warder of Ganye Prisons; the proprietor of a popular joint known as IK; his wife and no fewer than 20 others.
According to an eyewitness account, the unknown gunmen, had, on Friday night, laid a siege to Ganye, headquarters of Ganye Local Government in Adamawa State, leaving heavy casualties behind after the assault.
The gunmen attacked the divisional police station, the prison headquarters and an old generation bank, all located close to one another.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the attackers first struck at the divisional police station which was set ablaze, before proceeding to the prisons where the inmates were set free and the building also set on fire.
The attack, which was shocking to the residents, began moments after the last Muslim prayers, ISHA’I, as the attackers were shouting “ALLAH is Great, ALLAH is Great,” as they marched round the town unchallenged.
At the old generation bank, the attackers were reported to have used dynamites to pull down parts of the building before gaining access into the banking hall and the strong room.
The eyewitness noted that most of the casualties were recorded in the relaxation centres, as the attackers opened fire sporadically on people seen to be patronising the drinking joints and their owners.
The Adamawa State police command, through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Mohammed Ibrahim, confirmed the incident, saying a detachment of the military and police had been dispatched to the area.
Also, the Comptroller of Prisons in charge of Adamawa State, Mr. Andrew Barka, also confirmed the ransacking of Ganye Prisons but failed to give further details.
But for the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Kano, on Saturday, what would have been another massive tragedy would have occurred, as two men, alleged to be from Niger Republic, were consumed by an explosion from the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) material they were carrying, when they were stopped at a checkpoint manned by the JTF at the Hotoro quarters, on the outskirts of Kano metropolis.
According to an eyewitness, immediately the terrorists arrived wheeling truck in which they had put the explosive devices, pretending to be water vendors, while others were following on motorcycles, the JTF promptly stopped them for routine check but they were said to have pretended not to be aware of the order and moved on.
“As they refused to obey the order, the security operatives wasted no time; they promptly opened fire on them and in the process, the explosives went off and instantly consumed them,” the source hinted.
Shortly after incident, the security agents combed the area and arrested four Niger Republic nationals, who are now being detained by the Kano police command over their alleged involvement in terrorism.
The Kano PPRO Magaji Majiya, when contacted, told newsmen that details of the incident were sketchy but confirmed that there were explosions at the Eastern by-pass and Hotoro, while the spokesman of the JTF, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, also disclosed that the details of the incident were sketchy but promised to make information available as soon as investigations were concluded.
In a related development, gunmen killed a shop owner, who was identified as Matthew Owoniyi, inside his patent medicine shop in the presence of his wife and two kids, at Dakata.
Our source hinted that after the gunmen had killed Owoniyi, they allegedly escaped with his sales proceeds for the day, with the incident creating pandemonium, in the area.
Meanwhile, five people, among who were three mobile policemen, were said to have been killed in a renewed hostility between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers at Anguwah village in Benue State, on Friday.
Crisis was said to have ensued on Friday afternoon when a Fulani was alleged to have stolen honey belonging to a Tiv man in his farm.
The source, who spoke with Sunday Tribune on a condition of anonymity, said that unknown to the Fulani, one of the children of the bee farmer, was watching the him steal the honey from the pot and immediately alerted his father, who was said to have questioned the Fulani.
The council chairman, Mrs Eunice Mbajwa, who confirmed the incident in a phone chat with Sunday Tribune, said that some villagers intervened and left the Fulani, only for the village to be attacked around 6 p.m. that Friday.
Mrs Mbajwa further said that she immediately informed the police command on the incident but regretted that while the mobile policemen were on their way to the village in a Hilux vehicle being accompanied by the security officer of the council, they were ambushed by Fulani herdsmen, who killed all the four occupants including three policemen.
The Benue PPRO, DSP Daniel Ezealo, when contacted on phone, said that he would contact this reporter later but refused to pick calls as of the time of filing this report.
In another development, dissatisfied by last Tuesday killings of Igbo traders in Kano and the festering activities of the Boko Haram sect in the country, the Igbo in the North have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, convene a conference of all ethnic nationalities in the country to determine its oneness.
The Igbo Delegates Assembly, an umbrella organisation comprising Igbo in the 19 northern states of the federation, including Abuja, made this call in a press statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja, Kogi State and signed by its President-General, Chief D.S. Inyamah
The statement which condemned the killings of the Kano passengers, said the attack was targeted at Igbo traders who were doing their legitimate business without any suspicion.
The statement said what is now happening in recent times is a crusade of terror specially targeted to wipe away the Igbo and to destroy their properties.
“Government at all levels, is appealing to us for restraint, in the spirit of the Lenten season and love of the country, we agree but the Federal Government must change tactics by putting an end to this open declaration of war against Ndigbo.
“The Igbo, therefore, called on President Jonathan to address the situation, “as the Igbo would not continue to fold its arms while its members are being butchered daily by the Boko Haram.”
TRIBUNE
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