By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz
Yola
A group of concerned residents of Michika has called for the constitution of a committee to probe extra-judicial killings by local mobs in Khurkasa and Kamale villages of Michika local government area of Adamawa state.
The group in a statement by its spokesman, Christopher Umar Tizhe, alleged that there were incidents of organised killings in the name of reprisals going on in some villages of Michika local government under the guise of fighting Boko Haram, stressing that “something urgently needed to be done before things degenerate to another serious crisis.”
It said: “In Khurkasa village of Vi district for instance, 16 people mostly women and children passing through the village where killed and burnt by mob. Similarly another group of 17 people, including a pregnant woman returning to Michika from Cameroun after the announcement that Michika had been recaptured from Boko Haram were burnt alive in Kamale village by a mob claiming to be fighting Boko Haram.”
The group lauded the achievement of Nigeria Army in recapturing Michika and urged the military to be careful against being misled by some selfish groups or individuals looking for opportunities to settle personal scores.
“We commend the laudable feat of our gallant soldiers in their latest successes in recovering territories including Michika from insurgents, we want to call for extreme caution in managing the victory by the military and vigilante groups by way of proper investigation of suspects to avoid extra-judicial killings.
“The Military and other security operatives should also guard against being use for extra-judicial killings by interest groups in the area who want to settle religious, tribal and political scores with each other by forwarding list of opponents as Boko Haram suspects.”
It called on Michika stakeholders particularly the elite, including political, traditional and religious leaders to, as a matter of urgency, come together to find a panacea to the ethno religious tension that has been brewing in Michika even before the Boko Haram incident “which has now aggravated the ethno-religious divide in the area.”
The group kicked against what it described as “desperation” by some politicians who were urging people to return to Michika “because of election when the reality on ground shows that the area is not yet safe for people to return en masse.”
The group re-iterated it called on the federal and state governments as well as Donor Agencies, NGOs and philanthropists to come to the aid of the displaced people of Michika particularly through providing them with the needed basic amenities like water, shelter and healthcare facilities to facilitate their return home.