Residents of Powishi village in Kalmai District of Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State, claim five people were killed during the recent incursion by suspected herdsmen.
In a phone conversation with City Round on Friday, community members questioned the police account, which said that Mallam Yusuf Akwara was the only person murdered in the incident.
According to our correspondent, the violence began Wednesday afternoon and ended with the destruction of approximately 250 residences on Thursday morning.
A resident, Sunday Bala, said, “They (suspected herdsmen) burnt the whole village; they (suspected herders) killed about five people.
“You know we witnessed it, and we have over 200 people who were injured; they burnt buildings in two villages, totalling about 250 houses.”
Another resident, Salome Bako, mention that, “The first time they came was during the daytime when they ventured into farms asking owners to leave the farm but they (farmers) insisted that they were yet to harvest their produce.”
Speaking with our correspondent, a resident, Danladi Joshua, criticised the police authorities’ figures on the number of casualties.
He added, “There is no Mallam killed; one of the persons killed was a retired army officer who settled in the village to farm, grandpa. I don’t know of any Mallam.”
According to a press statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Buhari Abdullahi, “The command received a report that a group of people on motorbikes suspected to be herders armed with dangerous weapons invaded and attacked Powishi village, setting some houses ablaze and rustling an unknown number of animals.”
According to Abdullahi, the incident occurred in the early morning, and a mixed team of police officers and the 301 Artillery Regiment, directed by Area Commander Billiri, was deployed to manage the situation.
He said, “The assailants (herdsmen) fled the village before the arrival of the security teams. However, the neighbouring village and security personnel were able to put out the fire.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Hayatu Usman, visited the scene alongside the Commanding Officer of the 301 Artillery Regiment, the Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Chairperson of Billiri LGA to assess the situation and commiserate with the affected families and communities.”
Abdullahi told people that the police had dispatched a team of investigators from the State Criminal Investigation Department, as well as men and traditional police, to trace down and arrest the criminals.
