Compensate victims of Tafawa Balewa crisis, group tells Bauchi government

By Sammy OJ

A group, Zauren Baba Gonto from Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro area of Bauchi State has charged the government of the state to compensate victims of the botched 21st memorial anniversary of Seyawa’s leader, Baba Peter Gonto.

Bestof9ja had reported that warring groups involved in the Tafawa Balewa crisis clashed over whether the 21st memorial anniversary should be held on 31st December 2021, leaving several people dead and hundreds of million worth of properties destroyed.

Speaking with journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday, leader of the group, Bonji Bar called for peace among warring factions of the Tafawa Balewa crisis , saying that they must bury their hatchets and see each other as brothers and sisters bound by ethnic lineage for a common cause.

He said: “We wish to condemn in strong terms the ugly and unfortunate violent attack by thugs, arsonist and anarchist that abruptly ended the Baba Peter Gonto 21″ memorial and official launching of the Peter Gonto foundation that happened on the 31” December 2021 in Bogoro.

“This ugly avoidable debacle started from Tafawa Balewa from 29th through the 31 December 2021 and spread to other communities including Bar, Bogoro and Mwari, the town of the legendary Baba Peter Gonto of blessed memories.

“We therefore call on the state government to ensure that all those innocent persons who suffer loss from the Tafawa Balewa crisis in any form are compensated.

“This ugly incident led to the untimely death of Baba Aralla Peter Gonto who happen to be an illustrious son and liberator of our land Baba Peter Gonto, in lieu of this, we sue for calm as the deceased is yet to be buried.

“We call on the security agencies to go after and apprehend the perpetrators of this barbaric acts, and let them face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to other criminally minded fellows, and their sponsors arrested.”

The group further said it will continue to stand as mediator between warring factions until a United front is forged in the land for the attainment of common goals.

“As Zauren Baba Gonto, we shall continue to operate on non partisanship and all the interest of Zaar sons and daughters would be protected by us in all frontiers irrespective of political affiliation, ideology, faith, clan, social status, or community.

“We call on ZDA, ZAYODA, Women wing, NUZAS, other pressure and interest groups, politicians, civil servant, artisants, farmers and other private individuals of ZAAR extraction to refrain from posting inciting, provocative and inflammatory statements that can stir disaffection and cause dis-unity, and worse off, conflicts especially on social media platforms.

“We therefore urge all Zaar sons and daughters where ever they may be to remain law abiding and no account shall we tolerate any form of incitement and violence. All waring factions must bury their hatchets and see each other as brothers and sisters bound by ethnic lineage for a common cause.

“We further call on all the victims or their relations to avoid the temptation of any reprisal attacks, since all appropriate machinery of Government have swiftly swung into action in order to decisively deal with the situation in order to prevent future recurrence,” he added