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.”
