By Mike Ozekhome
The state of Adamawa lies in
the northeastern part of Nigeria ,
with its capital at Yola. It was carved out in 1991 from part of Gongola State , with four administrative
divisions, namely Adamawa, Ganye, Mubi and Numan. It is one of the largest
states in Nigeria
and occupies about 36,917 square kilometres.
The great people of Adamawa Now A Shadow Of Itself
The history of violence in
Adamawa preceded, but was accentuated by, the menance of blood-letting and
violence perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists and the equally fatal
counter-insurgency response by the Nigerian Army. These cumulatively stamped
ugly scars and horrendous devastation in Nigeria ’s North East. This is
evident in the fact that about 2.5 million people are now in dire straits and
lack. There is gnashing of teeth. Record has it that Adamawa is the second most
affected state in this horrific Boko Haram’s conflict zone. This had led
President Goodluck Jonathan (2010 – 2015) to declare a state of emergency in
Adamawa, along with neighbouring Borno and Yobe states, due to the bloody
activities of Boko Haram.
The state has also seen
sustained serial Fulani herders’violent attacks and bloody inter-communal
conflicts. For example, clashes between Fulani and agrarian communities in late
2016 and early 2017, in
Demsa Local Government Area (LGA), left over 35 people dead and hundreds
displaced. Similarly, herdsmen had attacked over 10 villages in central Adamawa
between January and July, 2016. The orgy of violence continues.
Recent Crisis Bedevilling The State
Only recently, the valiant
people of Numan, Adamawa
State , woke up to behold
wanton destruction of human lives, after a temporary reprieve, when the state
was beginning to enjoy relative peace and security. There is high level tension
within the Numan city centre, where riot policemen, who were deployed to the
area, are carrying out routine patrol of flashpoints. There is great
apprehension among residents of nearby and even far-flung communities from
Numan town, as to what fate might befall them. Though details are still
sketchy, sources said the late night killings occurred as police tried to
arrest some community leaders in Dowaya. The Adamawa State Police Command,
however, countered that violence erupted due to overnight clash between farmers
and Fulani herdsmen in Safere and Kodomti villages, in Numan LGA, where about
27 people were feared dead. Meanwhile, Adamawa State
chapters of Muslim Council and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), have
since condemned the killings and called for the arrest of the perpetrators.
My Humble Plea
I add my voice to that millions
of Nigerians to publicly condemn this wanton destruction of life and property,
as same are unacceptable, barbaric, cruel, inhuman, primitive and intolerable.
These inter-ethnic violent activities of insurgents are drawing us back to the
dark days of Thomas Hobbes, when life was short, nasty and brutish. I enjoin
government at all levels to immediately bring the perpetrators of the heinous
crimes to justice to serve as deterrence. Otherwise, recidivism will rear its
ugly head again and again.
*Chief
Ozekhome is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)
BUHARI SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE KEEPING FOR HIS DOUBLE STANDARD,NEPOTISM & DELIBERATELY KEEPING MUM OVER THIS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING BY HIS KINSMEN THE NOTORIOUS TERRORIST FULANI HERDSMEN.THESE ARE CRIMINAL GANGS THAT OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN PROSCRIBED BY BUHARI WITHOUT PROMPTING!BUHARI INSTEAD UNJUSTLY & NEPOTISTIC PROSCRIBED IPOB A PEACEFUL SELF DETERMINATION DETERMINATION GROUP!THIS TRIBAL & NEPOTISTIC APPROACH WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE NIGERIA UNITY PERCEPTUALLY ELUSIVE!!!!!!!
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