Gombe Communal Clash Leaves Five Dead, Houses Burnt, As  Gombe Gov’t Bans Hunting

Fresh attacks were reported in the early hours of Monday morning in Nyuwar community of Gombe State.

This is coming after the state government announced a curfew and deployed men of the Nigerian Police and 301 Army battalion.

The State Government has said no fewer than five persons have been killed, while several houses were burnt and farm produce destroyed in the renewed communal clash between the Waja and Lunguda in the communities.

While addressing newsmen shortly at an emergency security meeting on Monday in Gombe, the State Commissioner for Information Mr. Julius Ishaya disclosed that about five people were killed in the renewed attack that is in addition to the 15 lives that had been slaughtered by yet-to-be-identified Gunmen on Monday, April 12.

The Commissioner said; “So, all inhabitants of this area should beware of this new development, secondly the Government has expanded the coverage of the curfew, the 24 hours curfew used to be in Nyuwar, Jessu, and Yolde areas, but the government has expanded the coverage area to include Sikkam, Kulani, and Degri districts.”

“The meeting also encourages the traditional rulers to continue to engage one another in discussions to solidify the peace-building process that is already on the ground.

Speaking further he said; “Based on his Excellency’s instructions, every form of hunting expeditions is hereby banned in Gombe state, nobody is allowed to go hunting anywhere within the borders of Gombe state, and so the use of militia uniform is equally banned.”

Sources in the community claim that the town was invaded even with the presence of security operatives.

This medium learned that allegedly a group claiming to be ‘Kungiyar Kwatan Yancin Wajawa a Nigeria’ (Waja Freedom Fighters in Nigeria) distributed letters warning that any incursion into their ancestral land.

Following recent attacks, the state government has extended the curfew to Sikkam Degri and Kulani communities and banned hunting and the use of gaming regalia.