15 houses burnt in Nasarawa, scores feared dead

Scores were killed on Saturday when violence erupted in the Tudun Adabu area of Obi Local Government of Nasarawa State.

The violence erupted as a result of the tussle between two Eggon factions jostling to produce the head of the locality.



It was gathered that over 15 houses were razed down during the fracas between the two factions.

The incident occurred at about 11am on Saturday morning when the new head of Mai-Angwan Tudun Adabu, Alhaji Muhammed Isyaka, led his followers to make a courtesy call on Osuko Obi, Alhaji Ogiri Orume, in celebration of the Sallah festival.

It was gathered that the other faction, which was unhappy about the installation of Isyaka by the village head of Odobu, Mr. Odobu Okira, barricaded the road leading to Osuko of Obi’s residence and started shooting sporadically.

It was learnt that 10 persons died in the fracas while several others were injured.

The aggrieved Eggon faction, said to be in the majority, alleged that due process was not followed in the installation of Isyaka.

Women and children in the area had fled their homes for fear of being attacked by the warring parties.

Speaking to newsmen in an interview in Lafia, one of the residents in Obi Local Government, Mr. Yusuf Mabu, said, “The genuine head of Tudun Adabu, Alhaji Isyaka, who was given the mantle of leadership to pilot the affairs of his people led a delegation to Osuko of Obi’s palace when the other group barricaded the road and attacked them.”

Giving another version of the story, Mabu said crisis erupted when some Eggon youths sympathetic with the cause of the other faction attempted to present their candidate for installation.

A member of the aggrieved faction, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was wrong for Okira to have installed Isyaka, who was a son to a former Mai-Angwan. He insisted that the position was not hereditary.

The aggrieved member said the selection of Mai-Angwan should follow democratic process wherein all Eggon tribes in obi Local Government should be allowed to participate.

But the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State command, Mancha Christ, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview in Lafia, said there was no casualty in the incident.

According to him, the command had since deployed its men to the area in order to prevent a further escalation of violence.