Nasar khan RED FM awa: Still On The Ombatse Onslaught Filled with youthful innocence, my six year old daughter, after seeing the debris of our burnt house asked: “daddy why did they burn our house? Why are they so wicked? Who are these people, cant we tell the police?” The question flowed ceaselessly that it took me time to think of a subtle answer to give her. Looking more worried myself, I told her that government will arrest all those behind it and punish them. Even while I was saying this to her, I kept wondering if what I said was true and if that satisfies her curiosity. The recent attack, unprovoked one for that matter, on the Alago towns of Assakio, Adabu and Obi in Nasarawa state, by ombatse cult group which left in its wake destruction of lives and properties of a magnitude never witnessed in the history of the affected towns, has understandably, left a lot of tongues wagging. In an attack that defy logic, Eggon armed men and their mercenaries, stormed hitherto peaceful Alago communities to wreck havoc on human lives and properties, maiming, looting and doing all sort of things that words could not described because the actions are better imagined than said. Scores of houses were destroyed, properties looted and few that could not be taken away by the invaders were set ablaze, ostensibly to take the victims hundreds of steps backward economically. One fact which cannot be disputed is that life for some of the victims cannot be the same again. Indeed, Nasarawa state has been in the news of recent and for a bad reason at that. No thank to the senseless murder and destruction of lives and properties in Obi, Assakio and Odobu by the Ombatse cult of Eggon Extractions. The murder is coming weeks after the senseless and indeed, highly condemnable murder of security operatives in, until recently, the peaceful Alakyo community by the same Ombatse militia. Now and as in the foreseeable future, there is and will be no rational justification for the senseless attack and murder carried out in a broad day light on Alago by the Ombatse cult. It pains to realize that this attack was carried out by one of the major tribes among the numerous tribes in Nasarawa state, on another equally major tribe and indeed, one of the most peace loving tribes in the state. In a multi ethnic and to a large extent, multi religious enclaves like Nasarawa; it beats one’s imagination to see the cult group of particular tribe wreck havocs on other tribes in the state. It becomes more worrisome when the attacks are unprovoked except that scores of people tie it to the struggle for the soul of the state come 2015. The Ombatse militia, with both covert and overt support of some of their kinsmen, made a mess of Odobu, an Alago settlement of few metres away from Tudun Adabu, the predominantly Eggon settlement where the militia reportedly used as their base during the attacks… Historically, the people of Odobu, known for their accommodating nature, embraced the Eggon visitors who visited the area in search of farm lands since they are predominantly farmers. They were offered settlement in the site which is currently known as Tudun Adabu, through the magnamity of the Alago people whom they met, some decades ago. It is worrisome that these same people whose fore bears were offered settlement will take up arms against the forebears of those who offered them place to settle… In Obi, scores of Eggons still cultivates lands offered to them by the Alago and so it beats common sense and simple reasoning that the attack on Obi which has led to the death of almost a dozen people and destruction of properties worth hundred of millions of naira, is perpetrated by Eggons, who are one of the major beneficiaries of the Alago’s benevolent gestures. A lot has been said of the Ombatse cult group and by implication, its forerunners, who are mostly Eggons. But the questions that remained to be answered is why this unprovoked attack? It is more worrisome when one remembers the fact that this attack was hitherto unknown until the coming on board of the current administration. But what does the Ombatse group want? What prompted the much talked about militant training which the so called Baba Lakio reportedly spearheaded through administering of herbal concoction for the cult supposedly to make them invincible, feared and gain more strength to unleash mayhem? This attack are reportedly carried out preparatory to the battle to tenant the Nasarawa Government House come 2015 where the Eggons are alleged to have insisted it most be their turn.. While appreciating the fact that the Ombatse and indeed, any other group or person for that matter, has the right to support any candidate in an election, it is necessary to state that it is preposterous for any single ethnic group to think it can impose its candidate on the state. Nasarawa is a multi ethnic state with incongruent disparity, a factor which makes it necessary for any potential office seeker, especially the office of the governor, to rally support of all and sundry because no single tribe or ethnic nationality can single handedly, deliver a candidate for the coveted seat of governor. This is a fact that Ombatse cult members, like every other politically active and conscious citizen of Nasarawa state, must be aware of. It is disheartening to hear people; especially some Eggons insisting that come 2015, an Eggon Man must be governor of the state as if the principle of voting which underscores the current democracy we are practicing does not in any way matters. Rather than commenced on a bad footing like the Ombatse has done, the group and indeed, any one who truly loves the Eggon and wish to have a governor of Eggon extraction in Nasarawa come 2015 ought to have engage in serious bridge building activity. The rational thing for Ombatse to do, regardless of the reason for its existence, was to rally the support of Yeskwa, mada, Hausa, Kamberi, Fulani, Ninzo, and, indeed, all other tribes in the state from Karu down to Keana, in selling its preferred candidate ahead of 2015. Unfortunately, between May last year and September this year, the group spearheaded communal strife with Alago in Assakio village of Lafia local government and followed it with similar strife with Migili, unarguably, the most peaceful tribe in the state. Even before the dust raised by these two crises could settle down, Ombatse and by implication, Eggon, is at dagger drawn with Fulani. Only recently, it renewed its hostility with Alago and in the process, attacked three Alago communities of Obi, Assakio and Adabu…. The thinking in Nasarawa state now, more than ever before, is that an Eggon man may well not be trusted to be given the chance to govern the state, at least not in 2015 because there are fears the Ombatse will make life unbearable should one of their own, by which we mean an Eggon person, be made governor. Recent happenings in the state indicate that some governor hopefuls who are of Eggon extraction may have lost even the minute sympathy they had from other tribes. I doubt if this is what the Ombatse want. I think it is time for the group to have a rethink and work towards building bridges of love and unity among the diverse ethnic nationalities in Nasarawa state so as to give room for a governor of an Eggon extraction in no distant future. Any thing short of this, having a governor from the Eggons may be a long walk away.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 23:16:52 +0000
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