Communal Crisis: Kwah Community In Adamawa State Seeks The Removal Of Divisional Police Officer For Alleged Injustice By Tom Garba, Yola
The prolong battle between the Kwah tribe and their task masters (Bachama) in Lamurde local government area council of Adamawa has taken a new dimension as the Kwah tribe have accused their task masters of trying to super imposed somebody to be the Kwah chief against the general demand of the community while accusing the Bachama traditional council of conniving with the DPO of the local council.
Kwah tribe has petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police to mediate into an alleged obstruction of justice being perpetrated by the divisional Police officer in resolving the violent disturbances experienced in the community late last year.
Chief Zakka Mah whose two sons were killed late last year in November following a chieftaincy tussle in his community has written the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe state complaining that those who killed his sons were yet to be arrested and brought to face the law.
He accused ASP Nimfas Phineas the divisional Police officer in the council of conniving to shield those who killed his son and nephew from arrest.
Chief Zakka Mah who wrote the police alongside two other petitioners urged the police AIG to use his good office to intervene in the matter which had caused them great psychological trauma to see the people who burnt down their houses, killed their sons and destroyed their livelihoods, forcing them to live as refuges in our own state, moving freely within the community.
The petition obtained by our correspondent entitled “ Complaints against Mr. Nimfas Phineas the Divisional Police Officer Lamurde local council over connivance and shielding of criminals” averred that while two culprits Nickson Tamuno and Hon. Danladi Carlos, the yet to be installed village head of the community appointed by the Hama Bachama and the supervisory councillor of the council respectively, may have been arrested they are worried that the community was yet to know peace because 84 others who were reported to have perpetrated the heinous acts were still walking freely and terrorizing the community.
The petition said Mr. Nimfas Phineas despite soliciting and receiving financial assistance amounting to over N23,000 from the petitioners to facilitate the arrest of the other culprits for the purpose of bringing peace and order to the troubled community, failed to make any arrest.
They alleged that contrary to the instruction of the police commissioner on the D.P.O to effect the arrest of the other culprits in the matter Mr. Nimfas who is Bachama man was instead acting unprofessionally by dancing to the whims and caprices of the paramount ruler of the Bachama Traditional Council.
The petition reads, “ Sir we will not subscribe to lawlessness. We will not take laws into our hands to avenge for our slain sons or destroyed properties; we will rather keep on following lawful means of seeking redress. We don’t think it is civilized for a person to kill his fellow human being in this dispensation and go scot free. We are therefore calling on your good offices to; transfer ASP Nimfas Phineas (the DPO of Lamurde) and woman inspector Wycliff out of lamurde Division to give room for thorough and unbiased investigations of our case.
Re-deploy a God fearing, non- Bachama and neutral police officer to Lamurde as DPO, who will do justice to this matter, since Nimfas being a Bachama man is protecting the interest of the Bachama Traditional council by conniving to shield criminals from arrest.”
