Over 10 Persons Killed, Houses Burnt In Lamurde, Adamawa Over Chieftaincy Tussle By Tom Garba, Yola

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A Chieftaincy tussle that erupted between the Dwenti clan and Mah Clan of Kwah tribes of the Batchamma Chiefdom of Lamurde LGA of Adamawa state, has claimed over 10 lives in the community.
The Chieftaincy misunderstanding  among the Kwah tribes was said to have turned into a wild tussle resulting  in the burning of several houses belonging to the Dwenti clan in the community.
An Eyewitness who does not want his name to be published said a deployment of military personnel were sighted heading towards the community which has been engulfed in flames since the mayhem started.
The Mayhem began when the son of the Tamuna Nickson, the yet to be installed Chief was reported to have been accosted   some youth from the rival ruling clan who have gone to the court to challenge the alleged unlawful deposition of the traditional ruler of the community Hama Zakka Mah.
The crisis, which later ensued between both youths from the opposing camps was followed by reprisal attacks that evening from supporters of Tamuna who unleashed hell on the rival clan to revenge a grievous bodily injury  inflicted on the son of the newly appointed chief.
The aggrieved family wielding all manner of locally made weapons swooped on the relatives of the youth from the Dwenti clan, setting ablaze every household on their path to avenge the injury sustained by the lad in the fight with the rival ruling clan.
However,  the crisis went haywire , when news, filtered into town that the son of the newly appointed village head had passed on, at this point all hell was let loose by the gang loyal to father of the slain youth who went on a killing spree. Over three bodies of those killed in the mayhem were taken to Numan General Hospital a nurse working at the hospital disclosed to this reporter.
Five corpses belonging to the Dwenti clan have also been reported found close to the banks of the Benue river said the leader of the community Mallam Phillip. “Our houses, properties have been completely destroyed by these power mongers who in their pretext to kill our people sent a young lad to accost us. Now look at what they have done,  they have taken the lives of ten of our people to avenge the death of one of their own. They first instigated this mayhem,  since August they loyalist of the newly appointed chief has been intimidating and harassing us in this community, but since we are law abiding we have instead gone to court to challenge the deposition of our ruler,” he said.
Reports gathered from residents of the community said the chieftaincy tussle which has resulted in the wanton destruction and loss of lives in the area had claimed over 5 lives in the past,  including attacks on policemen by the community to protest the imposition of another ruler on the community by the BachamaTraditional council.

According  to the locals, the community has not known peace since the alleged illegal deposition of  Hama Zakka Mah the traditional ruler of Kwah community by the late ruler of the Bachama traditional council, the former first class chief in the area HRH Asaph  Zadok on 12th of May, 2009, since then the community has being without a substantive chief as the former chief had gone to court but the newly installed paramount ruler of the Bachama people HRH Hamman Honest Stephen Irmiya, despite the matter being subjudiced went ahead to appoint Tamuna Nickson, who has since tried to rule the community at all cost using community thugs and traitors without having any headway.

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