The District Head of Gulak in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Alhaji Sai’du Danburam, has been shot dead in his office in Maiduguri, Borno State by unknown gunmen.
The slain district head, a veterinary doctor and younger brother of the medical director of Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Dr. Aliyu Damburam, was said to have been trailed by the assailants to his office in Maiduguri where they shot him to death.
Gulak is the hometown of the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Mr Bala Ngilari, and the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Ahmadu Umar Fintiri, expressed shock over the murder as he commiserated with the family of the late district head.
The Adamawa State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, who confirmed the incident, said the traditional ruler was killed in Maiduguri while on a visit to Borno State.
The late Danburam is survived by one wife and two children.
Meanwhile, following the eruption of religious crisis in Wukari, Taraba State, the acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar has slammed a 24-hour curfew on the town.
Garba, gave the order yesterday during his visit to the scene of the crisis in Wukari, saying that the state government would no longer tolerate those that hide behind religion to disrupt the peace of the state.
Government would not fold his hands and allow misguided elements to disrupt the existing peace of the state and anybody found culpable would be made to face the wrath of the law,” he said.
He added that Taraba State was known as one of the most peaceful states in the country, insisting that nobody could disrupt that peace and that government would do everything possible to see that normalcy returned to the community.
The ancient city of Wukari had been set on fire Saturday morning by religious fanatics, leading to the death of five people and injuring of hundreds of others.
Property items worth billions of naira were also destroyed in the mayhem while thousands have been displaced from their homes and are presently seeking refuge in neighbouring communities.
In other grim news, residents of Aduwan Gida community in Kaduna State have been thrown into mourning when unknown gunmen on Saturday night opened fire on villagers mourning the death of their village head and killed six people, including a six-month-old baby and a mother of six children.
According to an eyewitness, Ezekiel James, The gunmen, who stormed Aduwan Gida village in Zango Kataf LGA of Kaduna State, reportedly arrived at the place about 10pm, Saturday nightwhen people where dancing and celebrating the demise of their village head, and killed at least six people and injured many others.
The eyewitness added that the assailants also set a house ablaze after killing the helpless villagers.
He said, “The gunmen stormed the village and went straight to the house of our grandfather who died last week, and started shooting at the people in the house who gathered to celebrate his life; our grandfather lived a long life. They came with guns.”
Another villager, Benedict Kantiok, gave the names of those killed as Theresa Bako (a mother of six), Destiny Joseph (six months old), Felix Saul, Happiness Adamus ( a student) and Yacham Ayuba.
He said among those injured were Stephen Lucios Nyan, Denis Maliki and four others.
He added that the bodies of those killed during the attack had been deposited at a private hospital in Zonkwa, while those injured had been moved to Jos University Teaching Hospital and other hospitals in Zonkwa and Kafanchan all in southern Kaduna.
One of the survivors, Stephen Lucios Nyan, who spoke from his hospital bed, said: “The gunmen came in large numbers with sophisticated weapons and started shooting us; they killed many of us and got many of us including me injured. I will never forgive these people; we will revenge the attack either here on earth or in heaven.”
The district head of the village, Mr. Yariok Kabantiok, condemned the attack on his people, even as he appealed to his people to leave everything to God.
He said, “This is a sad moment in my life; I lost six people in my district after losing one of my village heads. There are not better days for us.”
The situation has raised tension in areas of Zonkwa, Kafanchan and some parts of Kaduna metropolis as some residents have started panicking for fear of reprisals.
When contacted, the Kaduna State Police Command, speaking through its spokesman, Aminu Lawan confirmed the incident, saying that “only three people were killed in the attack”. He also denied there was any tension in the state, saying that “the command has since mobilised mobile security men to Zonkwa, Kafanchan and Kaduna to avert any reprisals. We have since embarked on investigation that will lead to the arrest of the masterminds of the attack”.
Meanwhile, Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has appealed to the people of the state to remain calm and go about their normal businesses as government had taken steps to forestall any breakdown of law and order in any part of the state.
In a statement signed by the director-general, media and publicity, in Governor Ahmed Maiyaki office described as unfounded and false the rumour of a crisis in the metropolis.
Yero, however, warned that government would deal decisively with any persons or group found disrupting peace and order in the state and therefore called on people to remain law-abiding and peaceful.
On the attack at Aduwan Gida in Zangon Kataf local government area, Maiyaki said that Yero pleaded with people of the area and the state to remain calm as government had ordered an immediate investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of the unfortunate incident.
He added that the governor also directed security agencies to maintain law and order in the area as well as protect the lives and properties of the people.