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Police operatives in Adamawa

 

No fewer than 30 persons have been reported killed as a result of a communal clash between two farming communities of Lafiya and Mamsirmi in Adamawa State.

 

The crises, which erupted on Tuesday last week between both communities in Lamurde Local Government Area, later spread to Boshikiri, a neighbouring community in Guyuk (LGA) of the state.

 

Eyewitnesses said 15 persons were killed from the Muslim community while their Christian counterpart lost 16 people.

 

During a visit to some parts of Lafiya by Channels Television crew on Friday, residents were seen counting their losses.

 

Some of the locals were worried about reprisal despite what they had lost to the crisis, as scores of people had fled the community.

 

Women and children in the community have been evacuated to safer places while those seen are men and youths, as well as police personnel deployed to prevent further escalation of the conflict.

 

 

Meanwhile, officials of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) were seen evacuating some injured victims to the hospital.

 

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Aminu Suleiman, disclosed that the state government has made provision for relief materials to be distributed to the victims.

 

On her part, a humanitarian worker with the Red Cross, Paulina Isa, said those who escaped the clash were taking refuge in the community town hall in Lamurde, the administrative headquarters of the local government.

 

Paulina lamented that the displaced persons were sleeping on the bare floor, adding that they were being exposed to diseases and hunger.

 

The State Police Command, through its spokesperson, Mr Abubakar Othman, also had confirmed the incident.

 

 

Othman, however, told Channels Television in an interview on Wednesday that the police have not gotten the report of anyone killed in the conflict.

 

He added that houses were burnt and four other persons were missing.

 

The Command spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police had deployed personnel to bring the situation under control and restore normalcy to the communities.

 

He had also appealed to the warring parties to sheath their swords and live in harmony with one another, saying measures were being put in place to prevent a reoccurrence of such incident.

 

-Source: ChannelsTelevision