Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, June 17, 2004.
Adamawa bans
visit to Numan
victims in hospital
By Sule Lazarus
Special
Correspondent,
Yola
In a deft move to checkmate the activities
of people trying to fan the ember of crisis in Adamawa State, the government
has banned individual and group from visiting the Federal Medical Centre, Yola
where victims of the bloody clash in Numan are receiving treatments.
The government said the ban was because
most of the individuals and non-governmental organisations visiting the victims
in the hospital on the pretext of giving them relief materials were rather
making inflammatory statements that aroused their anger and desire to seek
revenge.
Also on a note of finality, the government
declared that its order to relocate the mosque in Numan where the blood letting
started from and the deposition of the paramount ruler of the Bachama Kingdom,
Freddy Soditi Bongo, was irreversible.
The government said the decision is in the
overall interest of the state, people and government, adding that due process
of law, tradition and democratic principles were followed before the actions
were taken.
In statement in Yola, signed by the
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Ibrahim Bapetel, he directed
the police and other security agencies guarding the patients in the hospital to
arrest violators of the order.
He explained that government noticed with
dismay that some of those visiting the patients were making inciting statements
injurious to the fragile peace in the state.
He expressed regret that instead of
allowing the injured persons to recover fast and the bereaved to bear their
loss with fortitude, some persons have chosen the hospital as a place to spread
unfounded rumours that could trigger another round of violence.
When the state legislators who paid him a
condolence visit, Governor Boni Haruna, wondered why some people are thinking
of fuelling the crisis in other to get the Federal Government to impose a state
of emergency in the state.
Reacting to the opposition of the state
Moslem council to the relocation of the mosque and the kingmakers of Bachama
kingdom’s demands for the reinstatement of their deposed monarch, the
governor advised them to cooperate with the government as the only way forward.
The Bachama kingmakers, who addressed a
news conference on Tuesday, alleged that only two of the five ruling houses
were consulted before the deposition of the monarch.
“We also want you to note that our
paramount ruler had not been queried before and there was no inquiry into any
of the allegations levelled against him. We have no information of any Bachama
person or group of people that have demanded the removal of our paramount
ruler.”
The governor had also warned against any demonstration
against or for any of the actions of the government, reminding the public that
the order of shoot-on-sight was still enforced.
