BY WILLIAM ATTAH, GOMBE – The Nyuwar Community Development Association (NCDA), has called on the Gombe State Government to urgently set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe what the consistent attack on their communities of Jessu and Nyuwar in Balanga Local Government Area of the State.
Nyuwar community was allegedly attacked Tuesday (08/02/2022) afternoon by the Waja militia during which a soldier was shot while trying to repel the attack and a civilian killed.
A statement by the NCDA which was signed by its National Chairman, Galiyos Zullum, with the title; “Nyuwar fourth unprovoked attack by suspected Waja Militia”, said setting up the commission of Inquiry has become necessary following the persistent attacks on them.
It further statd; “The Gombe State Government should set up the commission of Inquiry as done in other areas of communal clashes, to investigate the immediate and remote causes of these persistent attacks and those found guilty should be made to face the wrath of the law”.
The indigenous Lunguda tribe of Nyuwar had reported in the release that a Lunguda Youth had gone to fetch water in the morning on that fateful day (Tuesday) from a stream used by both Waja and the Lunguda at Tudun Wada in Gulyimora village, Nyuwar, to start the building of his house destroyed during last year April attack.
He was allegedly chased away and injured with matchete while his mud house was brought down by the Waja militia, adding that he had to run to a nearby secondary school as they followed him and harassed all the other students who also ran away for their dear lives.
The report further said that the army was alerted and as they came to repel the attack, the Waja militia mobilized themselves and in the fracas, one soldier was shot while they started burning some houses in Larkum and Pandi villages.
The pastorium of the African Church Nyuwar was also burnt down where a life was lost and many others were injured.
The Nyuwar community also said that on 12th and 13th April, 2021, Jessu and Nyuwar communities were attacked by the same Waja militia with over 20 persons killed, while over 2,000 houses were burnt and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
They said the two communities, Nyuwar and Jessu, had expected that after Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s visit, a commission of Inquiry will be set up, adding that while that was not done, three months after, on 26th and 27th July, 2021, there was another attack and eleven months after, the fourth which is the recent attack was carried out.
NCDA also called for a technical assessment committee to be put in place to assess the level of destruction and those affected be compensated accordingly just as it said that the condition of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) made up of mainly old men, women and children should be urgently looked into.
