1st January, 2022
By Ahmed Kaigama
The Police Command in Bauchi State has set up a panel to investigate the civil unrest in Bogoro Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesman of the Command, SP Ahmed Wakil said the command had set up an investigation panel to unravel the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of law and order in the affected area.
The spokesman reiterated the command’s commitment to the fight against criminality while upholding the tenets of the rule of law.
He said further developments would be communicated.
Days back, there was riot in Tafawa Balewa town over the 21st memorial anniversary of a leader and crusader of the Sayawa people, late Peter Gonto.
Scores of people took to the streets to protest against the event which was to hold Thursday 30th and Friday 31st December.
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Constituency for the fourth term, wrote 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.
The Bauchi 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.
On Friday during the memorial, houses and other properties worth millions of naira were burnt down by irate youths.
The youths also stormed the venue of the main event at Government Day Secondary School, Bogoro, where they set the stage and other things used for the programme on fire after the programme ended.
The arsonists had earlier waylaid the convoys of the Emirs of Bauchi and Dass on the way to Bogoro and damaged the official car of the Emir of Dass as well as other cars in the convoy, forcing them to make U-turns.