Sequel to the ethno-tribal clashes between herdsmen and Bachama people in Numan area of Adamawa state, the fragile peace in the entire state has once again suffered setback. IBRAHIM ABDUL’ AZIZ reports
Expected reprisals
For the last three weeks, Numan federation particularly Bachama dominated areas in Adamawa has been in the news, following ethno tribal clash that ensued between Fulani herdsmen and Bachama groups leading to loss of lives with many injured.
Last Monday, the expected reprisal on the Bachamas indeed came and it has been even more bloody and deadly. Lawaru, Dong, Kikon, and Shaforon had been sacked, with many dead bodies, including two village chiefs.
The attack could be seen as reprisal for the alleged earlier raiding of a Fulani settlements in Kikon,Shaforon and other Bachama dominated villages that saw to the alleged killing of over 55 women and children, sources say, ‘’ itself a reaction to the previous shooting dead of a farmer and his son in an altercation with a herder.’’
Fulani threats
According to eyewitness, Fulani groups had earlier vowed to take a definite stand over the killings of their kinsmen in Numan, “if Federal government fails to act fast”, while on the other hand, Pro-Bachama groups declared the Numan Federation as ‘’ danger zone for Fulani herdsmen.’’
Burnt property and corpses
The scenes were bad, everywhere you turned shattered houses, burnt properties and corpses littered, in the two separate attacks with all the sides now firing salvos.
‘’Fulani herdsmen burnt down Lawuro and Dong and are currently in Kikan, the attack started in the morning, but up to this moment, there is no security personnel in the villages. They killed our people, but we don’t know how many,” a fleeing Bachama man, Mr Gregon Samuel recalls.
At the last count, no fewer than eight villages were ransacked in Numan and Demsa local governments during the attacks as many feared dead including two village heads.
