Nasarawa tribe denies Ombatse’s involvement in killings

MAY 15, 2013 BY ADELANI ADEPEGBA, ABUJA 3 COMMENTS

Map of Nasarawa State
| credits: news.onlinenigeria.com

The Eggon ethnic group of Nasarawa State has called on the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the killing of security personnel in Alakyyo area of the state, even as it absolved the Ombatse militia group of involvement in the dastardly act.

The group urged the government to set up a high-powered Commission of Inquiry to establish the remote and immediate causes of the ambush and killing of over 47 policemen and State Security Service operatives, who were on a mission to arrest the leader of the Ombatse militia group, Lega Agu.

This was as reports filtered in that more bodies of policemen had been recovered by the search and rescue team that was deployed to the Alakyyo forest by the police high command.

But this could not be confirmed as the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, did not respond to phone calls and a text message sent on the issue.

Addressing a press conference at the palace of the Aren Eggon, the paramount ruler of the Eggon nation in Lafia on Tuesday, the President -General of the Eggon Cultural Development Association, Mr. Chris Mamman, wondered why over 100 armed security operatives were deployed to arrest the 76-year-old Agu, the acclaimed high priest of the Ombatse spiritual group.

Mamma cautioned the public against “demonising and criminalising every Eggon person as a fallout of the killing of the security operatives.”

He said, “We are not against the prosecution of anybody found culpable in the matter but that should not be on the basis that simply because a person is Eggon. The Ombatse group is not responsible for the killing of the policemen because our association (ECDA) had offered to help the police fish out the criminals who, under the guise of Ombatse, three weeks ago, forced a pastor and some adherents of Islamic faith to take a potion which initiates one into the spiritual group.

“But to our surprise, the police rather chose to invade Alakyyo village, reneging on the earlier agreement. “

He added that the high priest of the Ombatse had dissociated himself from the miscreants, who had been soiling the name of the spiritual group by forcing people to take oath.

Mamman called on youths in the state to embrace peace and asked those in possession of arms and ammunition to hand them over to the security agencies.

“We assure all concerned of the unflinching loyalty of the Eggon people to Nasarawa State Government and pledge to cooperate to find lasting solution to the crises that have engulfed parts of the state,” he said.