Nasarawa Latest: Soldiers Kill 4, Injure 2 In Clash With Cult Group By: Achor Abimaje, Donatus Nadi on September 18, 2013 - 3:26am Soldiers yesterday killed four members of the Ombatse cult, following a disagreement between soldiers and youths in Akwanga town, Nasarawa State. The incident occurred when youths were protesting the arrest and detention of some motorists believed to be members of the community by soldiers drafted to the area barely a week ago. The soldiers were said to be implementing orders given to them by the military high command in the wake of renewed communal clash in the state that has claimed several lives in the past few days. The soldiers were said to be confiscating rings and other suspicious items said to be used by the dreaded Ombatse members. Tempers flared when youths who besieged the checkpoint demanded the release of those who had been arrested The soldiers insisted on conveying those arrested to Lafia to be handed to the police for prosecution. In the ensuing brawl, soldiers were forced to shoot in the air, but that was not enough to deter the youths. The incident, which took place close to Senator Solomon Ewuga’s country home of Alushi, led to the blocking of all major roads within Akwanga town for a few hours. Residents of the town living close to the scene of the incident were said to have fled to College of Education, Akwanga, for refuge. On hearing that the military were conveying some suspected Ombatse members to Lafia, their members in Nasarawa Eggon, a few minutes’ drive from the state capital, were said to have threatened to block the federal highway unless their two members were released. But efforts to get the commissioner of police, Nasarawa State command, Mr Shehu Umar, to comment on the matter proved abortive. He did not pick his call nor reply to the text message sent to his phone. Nasarawa crisis: 7,000 displaced persons seek refuge in Plateau Following the outbreak of violence in Nasarawa State and the deteriorating security situation in the area, over 7,000 displaced persons are presently seeking refuge in Plateau State. The displaced natives of Nasarawa are currently taking refuge in Namu, Quan Pan local government area of Plateau state. LEADERSHIP gathered that Namu is a boundary community between Plateau and Nasarawa states. Most of the victims confirmed that they were from Obi, Alakyo, Lafia communities of Nasarawa State where there were ethno-communal clashes between the Eggon and Alago ethnic groups. According to one of the victims, , Dauda Malafia, who is in Namu with five members of his family, the conflict persisted for five days because the police were afraid of the warring ethnic groups involved in the violence due to their alleged use of charms and other forms of occult powers. Alhaji Hamza Elayo, Nasarawa State commissioner for information, when contacted said, “Right now I am a member of the state government delegation heading to Namu to be able to ascertain the figure of displaced people that are there. I can’t tell you the figure now until we get there and count them physically.” Alakyo killings: Commission holds secret session for former DSS, police bosses Meanwhile, the judicial commission of inquiry into the Alakyo killings sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, yesterday held a secret hearing for the former director of Department of State Security, Mohammed Haliru, and the former police commissioner, Abayomi Akeremale. The commission said the appearance of the duo was a continuation of the hearing on the memoranda of the DSS and Nigerian Police which were also presented behind closed doors for fear of divulging sensitive security materials. The said hearing was supposed to be conducted on Monday but was shifted by a day because the former police boss, Akeremale, could not make it to Lafia, LEADERSHIP gathered. RELATED TOPIC
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 07:05:46 +0000
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