Over 45 Killed In Fresh Ombatse/Fulani Clash By Rabiu Omaku
Not less than 45 persons were killed in Alakyo, Shabu and Tundun Buzu Communities of Lafia Local government in the early hours of today.
As gathered from a witness, many others seriously got various degrees of injuries, in the ensuing melee.
The attack has forced many residents to flee the community as they scamper for safety to neighbouring communities where they deemed safe.
The killing of Bare-Baris in Tudun Buzu community and outskirt of Lafia and the killings in Shabu is a reprisal attack carried out on the Gwandara speaking people of Shabu following the attack on Alakyo, the seat of the Ombatse shrine. An ex-chairman of Keffi Local Government in a telephone interview confirmed that six persons were killed in Shabu while shops were looted and burnt to ashes. Further information available to this medium revealed that five Ombatse members were killed in Shabu while one female refugee from Taraba State was killed by the Ombatse.
It was also confirmed that Eggon in another reprisal attack raided houses around Tudun Kauri, a suburb of Lafia, the State capital. It also stated that Ombatse people, which are four in number, were butchered and set ablaze at the palace of the Emir of Lafia Dr. Isa Mustapha Agwai.
According to an eye witness; “Bare-Bari and Ombatse members were engaged in a gun duel which lasted for over 30 minutes at Amba river and Kilima axis, business activities were grounded to a halt as shop owners flee for their safety.
These and other attacks are happening few weeks to the Primary elections of all political parties, the unfolding skirmishes are an indication that the Guber ambition of the Eggons is dead on arrival reason being that they have unleashed terror on tribes that are not even indigenes of the state.
Only time will tell whether the scheduled distribution of permanent voter’s card slated for 28, 29 and 30th of November and the voters registration, which is expected to take place on the 3rd to 6th December will hold in the crisis prone areas.
