Insecurity: Fear In Bauchi As Hoodlums Set House On Fire

There is palpable tension in Tafawa Balewa town, in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, over the 21st memorial anniversary of a leader and crusader of the Sayawa people, late Peter Gonto, as hundreds of women and youths took to the streets to protest against the event which is slated for Thursday 30th and Friday 31st December.

The PUNCH had reported that the memorial anniversary has caused sharp division among the Sayawa people in both Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa local government areas of the state.

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Constituency for the fourth term, had written a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, over security threats in the area, should the memorial be allowed to hold.

Following Dogara’s letter to the IGP, some Youths from Bogoro LGA, under the aegis of Concerned Mwari Youth Forum, while addressing a press conference on Monday at the NUJ Secretariat, Bauchi, said the claim by the lawmaker of security threats in the area was untrue.

The text of their press conference was read by Pastor Isuwa Samaila and signed by 48 other youths who insisted that the event organised to honour the late leader of the Sayawa people and grandfather to Dogara’s wife, Gonto, will hold as planned.

Another group, Mwari Youth Development Association, on Tuesday, also addressed journalists at a press conference, rejecting the planned event, saying if it is allowed to hold, it will divide the Sayawa people and cause a breakdown of security in the area.

But despite the warning by Dogara and MWAYODA, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda, gave approval for the event to hold just as he ordered the full deployment of Police tactical teams to provide security to lives and properties before, during and after the memorial anniversary and book launch.

Our Correspondent learnt that these did not go down well with majority of the people from the two LGAs as hundreds of them travelled to Tafawa Balewa town where they staged a peaceful protest on Thursday afternoon demanding the cancellation of the event.

Despite the heavy presence of combined team of security operatives made up of the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, the Department of State Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the protesters marched around major streets in the town singing and chanting various songs of disapproval of the event with some of them carrying leaves and branches of trees.

A video of the protest sent to our Correspondent showed hundreds of the protesters marching around the town as vehicular and human movements were disrupted.

An elderly woman who spoke during the protest alleged that security personnel deployed to the town have been oppressing and humiliating them.

She said, “If care is not taken and we are not adequately protected, our people will be cheated. We are very worried about the situation in Tafawa Balewa at the moment.

“We parents are not happy with the way things are turning out here because some of us were beaten and are being treated. Something very urgent must be done to prevent this land from serious crisis.”

A source from Tafawa Balewa town who spoke in confidence to our Correspondent on phone said that a house has been set ablaze by hoodlums in the area, adding that there are fears that other houses may also be burnt.

He said, “There has been tension in Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro LGAs as a result of this 21st memorial anniversary of Baba Peter Gonto. This has created division among our people and it has even led to the burning down of a house.

“As I speak with you now(4pm), the house of one pharmacist is on fire right now. I don’t know why his house was burnt and who set it on fire. I haven’t been around, I just came back to hear of the incident and I rushed there to see if it was true. And I can confirm to you that the house is still on fire, they’ve not been able to put it off. In fact, there are fears that more houses could be set on fire with the way things are going.

“All we want is peace in Tafawa Balewa, whether the event holds or not. All we want is that the fragile peace here will not be tampered with. We’ve had enough crises and bloodshed in the past and we don’t want that again.”

He said that although people are going about their normal activities, they are doing that with fear and caution.

PUNCH