By Ugo Willies
Communities of Nyuwar and Jessu in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State, northeast Nigeria are expecting the State Government to put in more punitive and preventive measures that will bring to an end the incessant attacks on them.
Leaders of the communities bore their minds when Save Nigeria Africa Project (SNAP-Care Foundation) in conjunction with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) took relief materials worth millions of naira to displaced persons Friday afternoon.
The two communities, largely dominated by Lunguda tribe, have in recent months experienced unprovoked attacks and in this February, 2022. Nyuwar community was allegedly attacked Tuesday (08/02/2022) afternoon by a neighbouring tribe, where a soldier was shot and a civilian killed.
National Chairman of Nyuwar Community Development Association (NCDA) Mr. Galiyos Zulum and the District Head of Nyuwar Mr. James Pisagih, who was represented by the village head of Gulyimora, Mr. Yohana Istifanus appreciated Gombe State Government’s concern since the beginning of the attacks but said their best was still needed.
According to Mr. Galiyos, the two communities, Nyuwar and Jessu, want the State Government to constitute a commission of inquiry so as to get the cause and perpetrators of the attacks as they had expected that immediately after Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s visit, a commission of Inquiry would be set up.
He said, while that was not done, only three months after, 26th and 27th July, 2021, there was another attack and eleven months after, the fourth and recent attack was carried out, all because no commission of Inquiry was set up.
Apart from the commission of Inquiry, Mr. Galiyos called for a Technical Assessment Committee to be put in place to assess the level of destruction and those affected be compensated accordingly adding that 21 lives were lost since the attacks began last year.
However, making the distribution of the relief materials, Jazeel Jamil Ibrahim, MD/CEO of SNAP-Care Foundation, said the foundation was worried by the crises and felt the pain of the people in the unfortunate incident that claimed some lives, destroyed properties, foodstuffs and displaced many.
He said the assistance which is intended to provide succour to the affected persons is with the knowledge of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs as as well as the Presidency.
Abubakar Mohammed Alkali, who represented the Gombe State Head of Operations, NEMA, said about 1,700 persons were said to have been displaced after an assessment.
He gave items to be distributed to include, 400 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans, 399 bags of maize, 49 cartons of tomatoes, 100 cartons of Maggi cubes, 12 roles of blankets, 40 roles of mats, 47 bags of salt and 799 pieces of mattresses.
